More people are working, fewer are seeking unemployment benefits, and national output (GDP) is rising. Yet aspirants for political office complain that the economy is a wreck. This may play well with those who are having a hard time, but the population as a whole is doing OK, according to various sets of data. This contrast, however, never slows the disaffected from complaining, and opting to believe a demagogue rather than data.
Here are some numbers to consider.
Some 254,000 workers applied for unemployment relief in the week ended Sept. 24, according to the Department of Labor, below the moving average of 256,000. "This marks 82 consecutive weeks of initial claims below 300,000, the longest streak since 1970," the DOL said.
More than 145 million people are now employed in America, compared to 130 million in 2009, when the nation was struggling to recover from the Great Recession.
Separately, the Department of Commerce reported that GDP rose by an annualized rate of 1.4 percent during the second quarter, up from 0.8 percent in the first three months of the year.
And disposable personal income throughout the nation increased by $31.9 billion in August, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
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