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Each line rebased to 100 where the shared window begins — growth from a common base, not levels.

Income Inequality (Gini) Labor Productivity
Income Inequality (Gini)Labor Productivity Rebased to 100 at Jan 1963
1969-70 Recession1973-75 Recession1980 Recession1981-82 Recession1990-91 Recession2001 RecessionGlobal Financial CrisisCOVID-19 Recession100150200250300100 = Jan 1963197019801990200020102020Indexed to 100 · r = 0.87 over the overlap — correlation is not causation · econscout.com

Each series rebased to 100 at Jan 1963. gini, productivity · read from cache, latest-revised.

  • Income Inequality (Gini)

    Income inequality on the Gini scale, 0 (equal) to 100 (concentrated).

    Gini index of US income inequality, World Bank estimate via FRED.

  • Labor Productivity

    Output produced per hour worked, as an index.

    Nonfarm business sector real output per hour of all persons, indexed to 2017=100.

Each measured on its own terms — compare the lenses, not just the lines. Full lessons → Learn

r = 0.87 strong correlation · 62 overlapping months

…and that proves nothing. Two lines moving together is not one moving the other. Almost any pair of trending economic series correlates highly — they share the same long climb of growth, prices, and population, or it is chance. r measures co-movement over this exact window, never cause. Change the range or swap a series and watch r move. Why correlation isn’t causation →