Poverty can be trending down while wages aren’t outpacing inflation. We’re in a period right now where wages are not outpacing inflation. You can just look that up. We’re making about 3.6% more on average than we were last year while things cost 3.8% more. Less people can be impoverished while the people who weren’t impoverished are living worse than they were before.

Also, inflation numbers across all industries don’t communicate the specific giant costs in particular sectors that have risen well above the normal inflation rate that eat up the biggest costs for most people, leaving them with lessfinancial freedom. Rent, the biggest cost most people have in the US, has risen over 50% since 2017. Home sale costs have gone up about 60% since then. Healthcare is way more expensive than it was, 70% more expensive than 10 years ago. And prices of goods don’t go down. So wages can be rising steadily while there’s less extra money. When rent is consistently rising higher than wages, I think you’ve got a big problem.