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Lessons From Income Data Supports What We Already Know: Study, Work, Family, Persistence
Townhall ^ | 09/19/2018 | Terry Jeffrey

Posted on 09/19/2018 9:29:54 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau releases new data on income trends in the American population that reinforce certain traditional lessons about life -- which may be why liberals do not talk about this data much.

Are there any patterns in the lives of those who do -- and do not -- succeed financially in the United States? Yes.

For example, people who stay in school longer and graduate tend to earn more money than people who do not.

Table PINC-03, which the Census Bureau released last week, categorizes Americans 25 and older by their "educational attainment" and their "total money earnings" in 2017.

Those with a "less than 9th grade" education made the least. They had median earnings of $23,849.

Those who went to high school but did not graduate had median earnings of $25,237. Those who graduated from high school but did not attend college had median earnings of $32,320. Those who attended some college but did not earn a degree had median earnings of $36,633. Those who earned an associate degree had median earnings of $40,322.

Those who earned a bachelor's degree had median earnings of $53,882; a master's, $70,358; a doctorate, $94,854; and a professional degree, $100,276.

The pattern is obvious: A higher degree tends to pave the way to a higher income.

In Table HINC-01, the Census Bureau presents household income categorized by "selected characteristics" of the household. One of these is whether -- and how much -- the householder works.

In households where the householder did not work at all in 2017, the median income was $32,178. In households where the householder worked 50 weeks or more at a part-time job, the median income was $56,510. But in households where the householder worked a full-time job for 50 weeks or more, the median income was $86,590.

The obvious pattern: The more you work, the more you earn.

The Census Bureau also looks at household income by family structure.

Nonfamily households had a median income of $36,650 in 2017. Women householders with no spouse present had a median income of $41,703. Male householders with no spouse present had a median income of $60,843. But traditional married-couple families had a median income of $90,386.

The obvious pattern: Married Americans tend to earn more than unmarried Americans.

Table HINC-04 in the Census Bureau data indicates that family income also varies depending on the presence of children in the home.

Married couple families with no children under 18 had a median income of $84,944, while married couple families with children under 18 had a median income of $97,964.

When work, marriage and children are combined, according to the Census Bureau Table FINC-04, median income goes even higher. In married couple families where both the husband and wife work full-time year-round, the median income was $127,718 in 2017.

If the married couple working full-time year-round had one child between 6 and 17 years old, their median income was $131,271. If they had two or more children in that age bracket, their median income was $133,921.

The lesson: Raising children may cost money, but it inspires traditional married couples to make money.

The Census Bureau also reports that younger people generally do not make as much money as middle-aged people. They must persist and work for a while before they hit their earning peak.

Married-couple families in which the householder is 24 to 34 have a median income of $80,381, according to Table FINC-02. That rose to $101,682 when the householder was 35 to 44 and peaked at $112,407 when the householder was 45 to 54.

In the current American population, those who finished school, worked, married, had children and persisted in work, marriage and child rearing are likely to be independent and self-sufficient.

Liberal American politicians often argue that the best way to help those with lower incomes is to use the power of government to redistribute wealth from those with higher incomes.

A more effective strategy would be to restore throughout this country the values that history -- and Census Bureau data -- demonstrates motivate a free and independent people.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: family; income; incomedata

1 posted on 09/19/2018 9:29:54 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Study, Work, Family, Persistence

Or, in modern parlance, White Privilege...

2 posted on 09/19/2018 9:32:57 AM PDT by rjsimmon (The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
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To: rjsimmon

RE: Or, in modern parlance, White Privilege...

Then why do non-whites (READ: Asians) succeed even better with those traits than Whites?


3 posted on 09/19/2018 9:38:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
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To: SeekAndFind

No argument that traditional Judeo-christian family life and work ethic have been the keystone of American greatness. Education has been part of the success equation, but is it any longer in sense of what is being taught aims to destroy America rather than building upon traditional values.


4 posted on 09/19/2018 9:39:40 AM PDT by buckalfa (I was so much older then, but I'am younger than that now.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Study, Work, Family, Persistence? Completely false. The 98% of those who choose that path, and who then make a lot of money in stable lives, just got lucky. They didn’t build that. Similarly, those who choose the opposite path - drop out, collect welfare, no marriage, and give up - are in no way responsible for the bad luck that strikes nearly 100% of those who make such choices.


5 posted on 09/19/2018 9:39:59 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: SeekAndFind

The alternative is study some PC BS course in college like Wymyns or Queer Studies. Get out, get pregnant but don’t get married. Then spend your life on some type of government assistance program and vote Democrat!


6 posted on 09/19/2018 9:40:49 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard (When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Sell outs...


7 posted on 09/19/2018 9:41:40 AM PDT by rjsimmon (The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
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To: SeekAndFind

get an education
get married
have children
stay married


8 posted on 09/19/2018 9:43:06 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd ((>> M A G A << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if he's white?")
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To: SeekAndFind

Amazing what hard work can do for you....but the loser RATS don’t want successful voters....fewer VICTIMS for votes.


9 posted on 09/19/2018 9:43:40 AM PDT by EagleUSA
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To: SeekAndFind
The pattern is obvious: A higher degree tends to pave the way to a higher income.

Should it? Employers who buy this Kool-Aid are propping-up the university indoctrination centers that infest our culture with Liberalism.


10 posted on 09/19/2018 9:44:35 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: SeekAndFind
" but it( having children ) inspires traditional married couples to make money"

having children inspires couples to stay married, which increases household wealth.

11 posted on 09/19/2018 9:49:11 AM PDT by cherry (official troll)
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To: SeekAndFind

bkmk


12 posted on 09/19/2018 10:37:46 AM PDT by Sergio (An object at rest cannot be stopped! - The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight)
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To: ßuddaßudd

get an education
get married
have children
stay married

I can’t emphasize enough to young people the importance of staying married in relation to financial stability. I speak from experience (actually several experiences).


13 posted on 09/19/2018 10:44:31 AM PDT by suthener (E)
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To: SeekAndFind

All this is verified by “The Bell Curve” published about 25 yrs ago. It also analyses the impact on low I~Q which makes all negatives worse.

The surest path to poverty is to have a child out of wedlock as a teenager.


14 posted on 09/19/2018 11:27:37 AM PDT by arrogantsob (See "Chaos and Mayhem" at Amazon.com)
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To: SeekAndFind

That is true of East Asians as per the BC.

They have a higher IQ than Whites, Jews have the highest of all groups.

Income tracks intelligence.


15 posted on 09/19/2018 11:30:00 AM PDT by arrogantsob (See "Chaos and Mayhem" at Amazon.com)
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To: SeekAndFind
In households where the householder did not work at all in 2017, the median income was $32,178.

Millions of Americans would hear this and say "Sign me up!" :)

It's a nice reminder of the true cost of the so-called social safety net.

16 posted on 09/19/2018 11:32:01 AM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL]-[GALT]-[DELETE])
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To: SeekAndFind

Easy: cultural appropriation! They stole our work ethic! /sarc


17 posted on 09/19/2018 12:01:02 PM PDT by Retrofitted
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To: suthener

I agree. this is one of the best things Ive learned on FR ..


18 posted on 09/20/2018 5:16:21 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd ((>> M A G A << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if he's white?")
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