What is The Climb?
The Climb, from Dream Again USA, is an interactive graph of wealth inequality in America drawn to scale. Each column is 1% of American households, lined up from poorest to richest, and one pixel stands for $5,000, so you scroll up through the bars and keep scrolling for minutes before you reach the top 1%.
To make the numbers concrete it pictures each household's wealth as a stack of $100 bills: the median household's stack is about 9 inches tall, while the average top 1% household's is 145 feet. It is inspired by Politizane's video Wealth Inequality in America and follows the data in Politizane's Companion, built on Federal Reserve figures adjusted to 2026 dollars.
Main Features
- A to-scale scrolling graph of US household net worth, from the poorest households to the top 0.001%
- Markers for the top 1%, 0.1% and 0.01%, with the number of households in each group
- A box where you enter your household net worth to see where you sit
- A text version of the climb for anyone who cannot use the scrolling graph
- A free printable PDF of the graph, 15 US Letter pages to tape together on a wall
- A sources and method page that explains every figure and adjustment
- The embedded Politizane video Wealth Inequality in America (Updated 2026)
How to Get Started with The Climb
- Open dreamagainusa.org on a phone or computer.
- Start scrolling up from the bottom of the graph and watch the bars grow.
- Enter your household net worth to find your own place on the graph.
- Read the sources page, or download the printable graph for a wall or classroom.
The Climb Pricing
The Climb is free to use, with no sign-up. The printable graph is a free PDF, and the sources and the Companion PDF behind the numbers are free to read.
Who Should Use It?
- Teachers and students covering economics, civics or statistics
- Anyone who finds numbers like millions and billions hard to picture
- Journalists and activists who want a clear visual of wealth inequality
- Data visualisation fans who enjoy to-scale scrolling explainers
The Climb Alternatives
- If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel: a scale map of the solar system you scroll across.
- The Deep Sea: scroll from the ocean surface to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
- Space Elevator: scroll up from the ground into outer space.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Climb free?
Yes. The Climb is a free website with no sign-up, and its printable wealth inequality graph is a free PDF.
Where does The Climb's data come from?
It follows Politizane's Inequality in America Companion. The bars use the Federal Reserve's 2023 Survey of Consumer Finances adjusted to 2026 dollars, and the top 1% and 0.1% averages come from the Federal Reserve's Distributional Financial Accounts for early 2026.
Can I print The Climb?
Yes. The free PDF is 15 US Letter pages that you print at actual size and tape together into a wall graph, from $0 at the bottom up to Elon Musk at the top.