$32K is top 50% income in the US

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: RichUK
I don?t mean to be rude, but $153k is not exactly *mega* bucks. I'm just a bit surprised that it's classified as being the top 5%.

If you like your anecdotal evidence, then tell me how much my 5-acre back yard with my own well for unlimited, free water is worth to you in downtown Metropolis. I pay for it just fine with my decidedly "average" pay.

Continuing the discussion about Atlanta, I'm sure they would love to take your well. After all, they (well, the state) is trying to steal our river.

 

[BoberFett]

I'm in the top 20%. My wife is in the bottom 50%. I better tell her she needs to start pulling her weight around here.

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
I'm in the top 20%. My wife is in the bottom 50%. I better tell her she needs to start pulling her weight around here.

Blasphemy! Everyone else on ATOT is in the top 1%.

 

[Jumpem]

Is that per person or household?

 

[Imdmn04]

Originally posted by: RichUK
I don?t mean to be rude, but $153k is not exactly *mega* bucks. I'm just a bit surprised that it's classified as being the top 5%.

5% isn't a "mega" elite percentile either, 300 million people in the U.S., that's 15 million people that is richer than you.

 

[IGBT]

..there are plenty that scratch by on that thus the need for 2 incomes and 2 jobs.

 

[IGBT]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
basically means there's a lot of poor people in the US.

..yet they somehow end up over weight with 2 cars big screen tv's cell phones and the latest face bolts and tat's. compared to the rest of the world there are very few really poor in the US.

 

[SSSnail]

Originally posted by: RichUK

Originally posted by: CTrain

Originally posted by: RichUK
I don?t mean to be rude, but $153k is not exactly *mega* bucks. I'm just a bit surprised that it's classified as being the top 5%.

Speak for yourself.
I can retire in 10 yrs making that much per year.

Well, I suppose it's all relative at the end of the day.

Yeah, especially if you have a lot of them...

 

[krunchykrome]

is this a single person income or a household income?

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Injury

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Factor in a lot of states 30k+ is a good income, part-time workers, senior citizens, etc.. and that brings the numbers down.

Don't forget that it also factors in all of the teenagers that work only a few hours a week and people still in school that have to file taxes but don't work at all.

The wikipedia graph someone posted was for those of age 25 or older, and the median was $32,140. so that throws out the teenagers. According to the article, if you include people as young as 15, that brings it down to $28,567.


The graph is only for those "considered part of the labor force." So much for senior citizens bringing down the median...

It also throws out most of the people still in school, since most people graduate long before they're 25 (except PhD programs, where people can stay as long as early 30s). Yeah, there are older people in school, but a large number of them don't work, and therefore aren't considered part of the labor force. Overall, the number of students >= 25 who are part of the labor force is very small.

That leaves part-time workers, which really sucks if you're 25+. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that this is a small minority on the graph.

I wouldn't consider 30k+ USD a good income ANYWHERE (except maybe Eastern Europe); food prices only go so low.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: IGBT

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
basically means there's a lot of poor people in the US.

..yet they somehow end up over weight with 2 cars big screen tv's cell phones and the latest face bolts and tat's. compared to the rest of the world there are very few really poor in the US.

That depends on what you mean by "the rest of the world," Third world countries, sure, you make a point. Western Europe on the other hand...

I really hope the first sentence was meant to be over exaggerated, because that's what it is.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Slew Foot

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
Crap you can get $15/hr ($31200) here in SoCal for your average office/warehouse job...

Thats because SoCal costs 3 times as much to live in than anywhere else in the country (almost).

I've lived in some pretty podunk places and I now live in SoCal, and I've found that it's really only around 2x as much.

 

[MrMaster]

Austin's median is around 39,000 for a single person. The only reason I know this is because of their housing assistance programs.

$30,000 back where I grew up in WI would be really good.

 

[DomS]

Originally posted by: Svnla

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Is that the median or average?

It didn't say. This is what was in the article:

"According to the most recent analysis of IRS data .....an income of $153K would put you in the top 5 percent of taxpayers" and the rest were just what I typed earlier.

median.

 

[PingSpike]

Its single, Dlerium posted a wiki link with all your answers and more at the beginning of the thread.

 

[Regs]

The standard of living wouldnt be as good as I would of hoped, but I could survive off of that.

Carpool to work, 1 bed/1 bath apartment, no vacations, AC only passed 90F....

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: Svnla
So I read an article of Austin TX newspaper via my smartphone and it said:

32K = top 50%
64.7K = top 25
109K = top 10
153K = top 5
388K = top 1

I thought top 50 and 25 require more money that that.

Median income has actually slipped over the last few years, especially after adjusting for inflation.

The middle 70% pay 99% of all taxes and the top 10% pay the rest! :Q

fixed your blatent error.