8 ms·
I agree for most areas of the US. But for someone living with a family in NYC or the Bay Area, I think this would still be middle class. A lot of this comes dow
by greendata 13y ago
I agree for most areas of the US. But for someone living with a family in NYC or the Bay Area, I think this would still be middle class. A lot of this comes down to housing and rent costs.
- eqdw 13y agoAccording to some data I forget where I read (does someone have the citation handy?) a family of 4 needs a household income of $76k/yr to support themselves in the SF Bay Area. Assuming that that number is accurate, I do not at all feel guilty about calling my tech salary "middle class" when adjusted for cost of living. In fact, a lot of people (at least in my family) consider 'middle class' to mean 'can afford a house'. By that measure, I'm lower class. I can barely afford rent aroun dhere.
- greendata 13y agoHaving lived in the area, I definitely agree. I think on the Peninsula it would be higher. Our federal system doesn't deal with these geographic disparities well, especially when it comes to things like federal taxes and college aid. $120k/year in a place like Mississippi really is wealthy though.