Where Do You Stand on America's Wealth Spectrum?

Yahoo ^ | 6 November 2007 | Lee Eisenberg

[shrinkermd]

This article is a compilation of income and wealth statistics by percentile. It is fairly comprehensive.

Among the quotes are:

"...Whenever I slip these tidbits into cocktail party chatter, people are surprised to realize how little money it takes to win a gold star from the Fed. If you and yours are bringing in $40,000 a year, you're doing better than half the households in America.

Or, as a Washington think tank recently pointed out: If you're a teacher married to a policeman, your combined household income puts you in the top 25 percent of all households in the nation.

[Mad Dawg]

I'm for it.

[Huck]

They need to do this by region or else it’s pretty useless. Some places cost a lot more to live. But it’s true ppl don’t realize where they fit into the picture.

[Graybeard58]

If you're a teacher married to a policeman, your combined household income puts you in the top 25 percent of all households in the nation.

These are the "rich" people Hillary wants to raise taxes on. Not the people in her income range and not the "poor" who pay no taxes anyway. It's you and me brother.

[MSF BU]

The Millionaire Next Door delves into this a bit. It would be interesting to see how many of those high earners (in any given year) are there because of the sale of a home.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

OK, so Mr. CGG and I are above average in income. Why don’t I feel rich?

[Mad Dawg]

Because you’re also above average in intelligence?

[Tenacious 1]

The rich irony here is that politicians and most elites have no clue about how middle class America earns and spends. They have lost touch with day to day living for most of the country. In their posh existence of power, popularity and self indulgence, they pander to their peers and bloviate their egomaniacal views and opinions to anyone that will listen in an effort to prop up their self worth. Their existence is sold as a charitable service to this nation and future generations. Truth is, their loyalties are hidden under a cloak of insecurity about their true colors. After looking in the mirror, they are resigned to protect the image they hope others have of them.

[wagglebee]

These are the "rich" people Hillary wants to raise taxes on. Not the people in her income range and not the "poor" who pay no taxes anyway. It's you and me brother.

I remember thinking when all of this SCHIP nonsense started last month how crazy the left's thinking was. If you are a family of four making $80K a year, you are "rich" enough to afford a tax increase, yet you are too "poor" to afford health insurance for your kids.

[cripplecreek]

The most I ever made was about $37,000 and that was as an evil union thug here in Michigan. It’s not great but it’s not terrible either.

[Smokin' Joe]

Me too!

[Graybeard58]

and that was as an evil union thug here in Michigan.

At least you made it to thug. I never made it past goon.

[Labyrinthos]

OK, so Mr. CGG and I are above average in income. Why don’t I feel rich?

Because you don't understand the difference between income and assets.

[WackySam]

The most I ever made was about $37,000 and that was as an evil union thug here in Michigan. It’s not great but it’s not terrible either.

I shudder to think what have remaining after paying all those Michigan taxes.

[traditional1]

"At least you made it to thug. I never made it past goon."

LOL

Do you have the "official" chain-of-command heirarchy of a Union?

(I was a Union member for only 2 years; back in 1968 and 1969), and have never been in a "seniority-based" career path since....

[Huck]

I was up to 90K+ my last year of corporate dronedom. Then I jumped ship to pursue my dearest dreams and interest. Making more like 25K but happier and healthier, with prospects.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

The rich irony here is that politicians and most elites have no clue about how middle class America earns and spends.

True that. According to the first chart, my wife and I park pretty high up in that parking lot, but we're solidly middle class here in eastern Massachusetts. You cannot live in any of the towns that surround us . . . well, on three sides, anyway . . . if you don't park on that top floor---and you don't park your Rolls on that top floor at that.

And I'm sure cats who live in Manhattan, LA, and San Fran have it even worse.

[cripplecreek]

I was lucky to be born into a frugal blue collar family where I could learn the art of living cheaply.

[cripplecreek]

Most people around here live in Jackson county Michigan due to the lower cost of living here but work in Washtenaw county where pay is better.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

I bet that’s it.