The question rises....... are the poor today better off than previous generations that were also poor?
Then a corollary question...... what is there to allow creation of wealth? The answer is that the area was settled precisely because the land was undesirable and almost free. Settlement allowed freedom that came with poverty.
Your job/career is your source of wealth. Good decisions help. That house you saw in Blacksburg I got for $189k. It’s worth $515k now. I retired to Giles County with no mortgage and a state pension all because some college girl talked me into a COBOL class.