When you think of America's rich,
you probably think of Silicon Valley billionaires,
or perhaps Wall Street bankers.
But along with co-author Eric Zwick,
economist Owen Zidar has unearthed a whole class of US millionaires hiding in plain sight,
from car dealers to plumbing company owners,
entrepreneurs who've made their extraordinary fortune from very ordinary businesses.
That raises two big questions.
What does it take to get rich in America?
Hard work, a good business idea, experience, luck?
And how much of these riches should the government be taking in tax?
As America heads into the midterm elections
and California votes on whether to ding billionaires with a tax on their wealth,
what does it mean for the rich to be paying their fair share?
This is The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes
and I'm joined today by Owen Zidar,
co-author of "Everywhere Millionaire: Who is Really Rich in America and How They Got There".
Owen, hello.
It's great to be here.
Um, okay, so on this show we normally start with a very serious question