It is very much becoming a real issue here. USA is currently the 11th wealthiest nation per capita with a per capita GDP of $56K. The median GDP however is only $18K and that gap is continuing to grow. The US has over twice as many billionaires as any other country, 536. These billionaires and multi-millionaires multiply their wealth at exponential rates while the vast majority of the population is struggling to just keep up with inflation.

I you go to almost any city in the US you will find plenty of homeless sleeping outside in spite of our existing welfare programs. Outside of cities the majority of folks make close to minimum wage with little hope of advancement. The recent election is a great example of the frustration held by many people in the country who feel like they should be living better and don't see any path to advancement.

So to answer your question, yes, the richest are really that much better off with a good number of people being able to afford essentially anything they want. I wouldn't say we have a lot of poor compared to other countries, but there is a large lower-middle class population with limited discretionary income.