The 10 Worst Things About the Worst Decade Ever

Market Meltdown, Sept. 13, 2008
A financial crisis was undeniable by September 2008, when Lehman Brothers failed. Fear and panic spread around the world rapidly. If you live in Brazil or China, you have had a pretty good decade economically. The meltdown of 2008, however, put things in grim perspective for Americans. The median U.S. household income in 2000 was $52,500. In 2008, it was $50,303. In 2000, 11.3% of Americans were living below the poverty line. By 2008, that figure was 13.2%.

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