In my earlier post on Sources of Income of the super rich I plotted the percentage of income that comes from wages, entrepreneurial income, dividend income, interest income, rental income, and capital gains for the Top 0.01 percent. Here I am posting the same data but this time all income sources are on the same graph.
{Click on the graph to take a closer look} 
A few items that caught my attention: the decline (starting in the 1930s) of the importance of Dividend income which was replaced in part by “Entrepreneurial” income then Capitals Gains and finally in the 60s by Wages. Also in the 70s and 80s Interest income becomes more important no doubt due to the high interest rates during those decades.
The income data can be found on Emmanuel Saez’s web site.
[tags]income distribution, US income distribution, US income inequality, income inequality, capital gains, super rich[/tags]
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
A simply fantastic graph.
I would love to see the percentages of income from 2005 forward.
It shows catergorically that wages are less thena 35% percent oftheir income.
I would also like to see thesame graph by percentile EXCLUDING the percentile above them.
For example the top .01 percent (higher than thi sgrapgh) the .1 percent excluding the .01 percent.
the 1% percent excluding those in the .1 percent
and the top 10 % excluding the top 1 %
This is important becuase I believe the percentage of income from sources graph scales logarithmically as you get into the highest percentage incomes.
Also you really should allow capital gains to be part of the determination of the top percentage since salary is really chicken feed to those making real money.