I'm going to share with you fine folks a secret. There is a tried-and-true way to evaluate the health of the economy, and it has nothing to do with volatile rhetoric that is crafted for the sole purpose of angering people who would otherwise be content with their lives. It doesn't involve reading any reports from any "experts" that claim this or that, and you don't have to choose which "expert" to listen to and which "expert" you think is blowing smoke.
Ready for it?
Count the pet grooming salons.
Yup, that's all there is to it. Count the number of pet grooming salons in a fifty mile radius. Of course you have to pro-rate it by population density, but the number of pet grooming salons... don't look at me like that! I'm not being facetious, I'm actually dead serious. The number of pet grooming salons per capita in a given area is a good indication of how well off the people in the area are.
For example I drive past a pet grooming salon on the way to w*rk every day. It is doing quite a brisk business. Google gives listings for three pet groomers within ten miles of where I live, and I live in an area of lots of small towns. If we as a populace are doing well enough that we can keep that many pet salons in business, I'd say the economy around here is pretty good.
If the PGS (Pet Grooming Salon) scale seems too farcical for somebody, try the LDP indicator. Local Definition of "Poor" will tell you how people are doing in an area. If "poor" means you don't have the money to buy cans of beans for lunch, people are probably somewhat impoverished. If "poor" means you don't have the money for your internet/phone/cable bill, or to get the latest smartphone, this area has a good economy.
If y'all really are as hard up as the complaining indicates, come down to Southwest Tennessee. By both the PGS scale and the LDP indicator, we are doing quite well. And we have room for many more people down here. Of course we have our share of people who sit around and complain about rich people... but we try to ignore them as best we can.