Fizkes | Istock | Getty ImagesStubborn inflation has driven households near the breaking point, but the pain of high prices has not been shared equally. The lowest-paid workers spend more of their income on necessities such as food, rent and gas, categories that also experienced higher-than-average inflation spikes. Because higher-income households spend relatively more on services, which notched smaller price increases compared with goods, they came out ahead. Middle-income households see slower wage growthBy other measures, Americans in the middle class are getting especially squeezed. watch nowEconomists' definitions of middle class vary.

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Persons: Laurence Kotlikoff, Tomas Philipson, Brian Albrecht, Albrecht, Philipson, Aron Levine, Boston University's Organizations: Istock, Getty, Boston University ., White House Council, Economic, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton, Finance, International Center for Law, Economics, Congressional, Office, Pew Research Center, Bank of America Institute, Bank of, Boston, Consumer Financial, Bureau