Editor's Note:

The US may have the largest economy in the world, but it is also the most economically polarized country in the West. It has long been stuck in a situation in which the rich get richer and the poor become poorer. The problem was further exacerbated by the onslaught of COVID-19, when economic recession led to massive job losses and deterioration in the economic situation of low-income earners. The US must face up to the grim reality of the ever-widening wealth gap at home and take earnest measures to solve the problem.

Stuck in conundrum: US sees rising economic polarization. Graphic: Chen He, Tang Tengfei, Xia Qing/GT