How it works
A census you can watch swim.
Each fish stands for a slice of U.S. households, drawn from federal survey data on income, spending, savings, debt and wealth. Rich and poor, city and farm, they share the same water. Big fish swim faster. Some carry heavy bellies. A few have fins taller than everyone else's. Big fish rise; small fish sink. Each fish wears a face: savings and cash flow make it smile, debt makes it sweat, and more money helps less than you'd think. And every so often, a billionaire swims through.
Read a fish
Five parts, five numbers.
Every part's area is proportional to dollars, at one rate for the whole tank. A big mouth with a bigger tail is spending more than it takes in; a tiny body means little cash to fall back on. Each fish is thousands of households combined, while each passing billionaire is one person.
Where they live
From towers to barns.
The tank runs left to right from the big city to the countryside. Crowded water means more households per square foot, just like the real thing.
Towers. Richest and poorest side by side.
Mid-rises, a water tower, a steeple.
Rows of houses. The middle of the middle.
Big houses on wide lots.
Hills, barns and silos.
Your turn
Drop yourself in.
Enter your household's numbers and your fish joins the school, glowing so you can find it. Adults share the household's savings, debt and assets. Kids and dependents swim alongside as small fry with no finances.
Your numbers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Rough numbers are fine; blanks use typical values.