I can't speak to all of the factors that affect how much money people take home. Or how many benefits flow to people in ways other than in their paycheck. Pay

I can't speak to all of the factors that affect how much money people take home. Or how many benefits flow to people in ways other than in their paycheck. Paychecks are not the whole picture and much of what you can buy with the same money adjusted for inflation today is vastly improved. Even ten year old cars are much more reliable than when I first started driving. And that is not in your paycheck.