Edited sentence: Beginning in the latter part of the 20th century this led to a "living wage" movement; this has met success primarily in urban centers, along with a minority of states that have passed legislation increasing wages.Nationally, as of 2005, the top federal tax bracket for a single person is 35% and reached at an income of $326,451.Tax systems constructed along these lines have been called "regressive".The United States's minimum wage is among the lowest in the industrialized world relative to similar per capita economies.This pared with tax structures found in some areas, such as Utah, where the poor pay more of their income as a total percentage on taxes, i.When adjusted for inflation median wages in some states have decreased since 1979.When compared to other countries, especially in Europe, America's economy has a high level of social inequality.those making below $16,000 annually pay 11.4% of their income on taxes while those earning at least $280,000 pay 5.5% (because citizens reach the top tax bracket at $4,313 for a single person), has led to growing number of poor and a wider gap between the rich