What Salary Buys Happiness in Your City?

[Ns1]

Not sure if this specific link got posted.

A new study that shows income after a worker earns $75,000 the measurable effect on happiness of pay increases stops has gained a lot of attention, but that figure may vary widely from city to city.

As our colleague Robert Frank notes on the Wealth Report, $75,000 in New York doesn’t buy as much as the same amount in, say, South Dakota. That got us thinking, if $75,000 is the national average salary level for happiness, what is the variation from city to city?

106k in Los Angeles...

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010...happiness-in-your-city/?mod=wsj_share_twitter

 

[edro]

I am happier than the list says I should be.

 

[rcpratt]

Detroit's an even 100, that's boring....need $75,000. So I guess I'm not quite happy...maybe after my bonus I'll break the threshold.

 

[Gibson486]

Boston-96K

yes, I am sad.

 

[jlee]

Based on cost of living comparisons to a nearby city on the chart, I'd need $91,786 for my area. I guess I'm only halfway happy.

 

[dfuze]

$75,000 would buy plenty of happy for me

 

[KeithTalent]

Seattle is the closest and it says $85,500. /shrug

KT

 

[Aharami]

damn Im below the NJ happiness threshold. I am miserable

 

[Slew Foot]

Why is Fairbanks AK so expensive?

115K-ish in the bay area? take home about 7K a month, you still cant buy a house.

 

[Vette73]

I make 75k but live in N.VA and 75k does not go as far as it sounds in most places. I would love to make 75k back in NC.

 

[aceO07]

I guess most people in NYC are miserable..

 

[joesmoke]

lol i dont even need to look to know im below the line

 

[Blackjack200]

lol, New York is off the charts, even blows LA away.

 

[Gibson486]

I guess most people in NYC are miserable..

ofcourse....

As I stated last month...

"New York is depressed because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersy"

 

[bignateyk]

$75K doesn't buy happiness for me. I'm at that threshold at 26 and i'm desperately trying to find a new career that doesn't involve sitting behind a desk all day.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Ehh ... cost of living index in the town where I live is around 105... which is about $78750. Chicago cost of living index is 113, which would take $84,750.
I make less, but seem to do well enough to be content.

 

[phoenix79]

Is that combined household income or individual?

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Answer: NONE. Money doesn't buy happiness. Period. It can buy comfort, which can translate into a sense of well being. But happiness? No.

Take it from me. In my first job, I earned 28k a year. I now earn an order or magnitude more than that, and I am still an insufferable sonofabitch.

 

[polarmystery]

Baltimore-Towson MD 121 $90,750

I am not happy

 

[Blackjack200]

Answer: NONE. Money doesn't buy happiness. Period. It can buy comfort, which can translate into a sense of well being. But happiness? No.

Take it from me. In my first job, I earned 28k a year. I now earn an order or magnitude more than that, and I am still an insufferable sonofabitch.

Well, you are a Red Sox fan.

Wait, you earn $300k? What do you do?

 

[Tweak155]

Interesting to note as the place I am considering an offer for is on the same index as here.

Guess its a straight raise!

 

[DT4K]

Charlotte, NC says 69k

That study must be talking about single people because I make quite a bit more than 69k and with 5 kids and a big house, I'm broke and stressed. I think my happiness threshold would probably be about 150k.

 

[jlee]

Answer: NONE. Money doesn't buy happiness. Period. It can buy comfort, which can translate into a sense of well being. But happiness? No.

Take it from me. In my first job, I earned 28k a year. I now earn an order or magnitude more than that, and I am still an insufferable sonofabitch.

Zig Ziglar quote: Money isnt the most important thing in life, but its reasonably close to oxygen on the gotta have it scale.

Money won't fix all your problems...but damn it can make life a lot easier.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Complete and utter bullshit. I am well below every amount listed on this chart and I manage to rent in a decent area, pay for food and activities, travel a bit and save for retirement. I'm generally happy.

If and when I want to raise children, I'll need to make more, sure. But what would really make me happy is if I had more allotted holiday time every year.

If I had a slight salary bump (a few grand) and 2 more weeks of holidays, I could travel a bit more (on the cheap) and that would be a nice bonus.

 

[Zebo]

i could live on 20K if I were not married. Single wide trailer is just fine for me, be happy as pig in shit. Shotgun shells and minnows are cheap. As it is tho just credit card bills are 20K in 6 months. Need about $120K.