The real problem is talking about absolute values. $250k/year makes you king in many places, but in several cities you'll be hard-pressed to buy a house or even

The real problem is talking about absolute values. $250k/year makes you king in many places, but in several cities you'll be hard-pressed to buy a house or even an apartment. Owning your home has long been the staple of middle class. In places like San Francisco even the very high income engineers mostly pay rent. Especially the ones in their 20's. (source: me and my girlfriend put together make just over $200k/year, we wouldn't dare think of buying a place, probably ever. According to the article we're top 96th percentile)