Coming off the post yesterday asking if everyone really makes over 115k…I have so many questions. Post after post of people saying they make 32, 35, 38, 41k, often that they have for years. What professions are these? I get that I have always lived in high cost of living areas, but I am curious to see what roles people have that pay this. Very few posters with these low wages actually posted what they do. Service or part time work would make sense but the stats don't add up if its full time, non service work.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median wage for workers in the United States in the second quarter of 2022 was about $1,041 per week or $54,132 per year (assuming 52 weeks of work per year). Wages were 5.2% higher than a year earlier.
What's considered a good salary in one job or metro area may not be in another. For example, workers in professional, management, and related occupations earned the highest pay. In these jobs, men earned a median annual salary of $90,636, while women earned a median annual salary of $65,780. However, in service occupations, men earned a median annual salary of $40,196, while women earned a median annual salary of $34,112.3
Salaries also varied by age. For example, men aged 35 to 44 had the highest median annual salary ($69,264). Women earned the highest annual wages between the ages of 45 and 54 ($54,652)
Several posters said they had a college degree many even say they have Masters, PHDs etc and yes say they are making 48k, saw a few in the 60s. Median income for degree holders is much much higher.
The BLS data reveals that completing more education pays off (at least statistically). Workers aged 25 and over without a high school degree had median annual earnings of $35,828 in the second quarter of 2022 compared to $43,576 for high school graduates without a college degree. College graduates with at least a bachelor's degree earned a median salary of $80,444 annually.
https://www.thebalancemoney.com/average-salary-information-for-us-workers-2060808
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/average-salary-college-graduates/
https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2022/data-on-display/education-pays.htm
Are people really working full time jobs with a degree and earning these small salaries? It seems a majority of posters outright reject that people make over 100k, when those over 100k are feeling the exact opposite.