The study you're thinking of noted that $75k was the level above which additional income would not significantly impact "happiness". While there are a multitud

The study you're thinking of noted that $75k was the level above which additional income would not significantly impact "happiness". While there are a multitude of caveats needed for any such claim, the most obvious is the fact that $75k means very different things depending on where you live. The WSJ adjusted the number for cost of living, below : http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/09/07/what-salary-buys-happiness-in-your-city/ http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/09/07/what-salary-buys-h... All of the above should be taken with a grain of salt, but the basic TL;DR is that the figure is actually ~$100k+ in most major US cities.