Photo by punkpapa

Over the course of the four months that they remained at McPherson Square, Occupy D.C. protesters complained of growing income inequality throughout the U.S. Little did they know that they were camping out in one of the most unequal places in the country.

A report by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute published today finds that the District ranks third in the country in terms of the severity of its income inequality, trailing only Atlanta and Boston. It also finds that the District leads all others in the average income of its top five percent of households—$473,332 per year.

According to the report’s findings, which were drawn from the 2010 American Community Survey, the top fifth of all earners in the District make on average $259,204, while the bottom fifth only take on $9,062—a ratio of 28.60, below Atlanta and Boston but ahead of New Orleans, New York, Tampa, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Miami, and Chicago.

“Income inequality is an important measure of the District’s economy. While the middle and upper- income DC households are faring well when compared with peer groups in other major cities, the District’s lowest income residents are struggling. The poorest fifth of District households has an average income below $10,000, or less than the federal poverty line for even a family of one. This merits the attention and concern of DC policymakers and the public,” says the report.

While the numbers are new, the news isn’t—but it is well-timed. Mayor Vince Gray will soon roll out his 2013 budget, and said yesterday that he was expecting to have to close a $115 million gap. Social service organizations still smarting over last year’s cuts are already organizing to ensure that they don’t have to suffer a second round. The Fair Budget Coalition is organizing a “One City (In Crisis) Summit” on the steps of the Wilson Building this coming Monday where it will warn that any future cuts will cause the city’s “humanitarian crisis” to deepen.