Income a family of four need to live comfortably by state in the U.S.

[John105]

"Comfortably" has a wide range of definitions. For some, it means having a little extra spending money, and not being so afraid of surprise bills. For others, it means a week long tropical vacation each month, 2 leased Mercedes, and a live-in nanny.

When I think of Weston MA. I think of public school teachers and cops earning > $200k. I think of Bruins living in town. I think of my buddy’s bro mentioning his Range Rover costs more to service than my 2006 LS430 in 2016 cost in its entirety, on multiple visits. He has investment condos in Boston and a yacht. He’s comfortable. Thing is I never even aspired to being like that. I probably never worked the hours it would take, despite being on call 24/7/365 since 1996.

I’ve seen 2 seniors driving LS430s at Costco. I bet they are the original owners and are comfortable as well. Despite having a 19 yo car.

Heck my wife’s cousin has never had a full time job and was born 1977 and still lives at home. He’s comfortable too.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

Dying with $60 million while still living in squalor is profoundly stupid.

I know people who are profoundly capable of living a much, much better lifestyle than they do. They only know how to live like trash.

Some of these people I know from work....they work/ed at the same places I did, made about the same income. My wife and I live a fairly decent middle-upper-middle class lifestyle. One guy in an office I used to work at lives in an 850 sf, 2br/1ba house that he "can barely afford", drives POS vehicles, smokes 2+ packs of cigs a day, constantly dealing with his ne'er do-well sons, etc. You'd think he was unemployed and living on welfare.... He only knows how to live like he does.

 

[R18Civic]

I think the word "comfortably" is probably very subjective here. But I am grateful I never had kids.

Same here man. They said back in the mid 2010's each kid costs about 180k from newborn to 18 years old. I doubt it's figuring in college tuition. Imagine what it is now.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Exactly. Zoning is a part of the problem. Another part of the problem is the decline of older neighborhoods which contain smaller houses. Many of them aren’t safe.

Laying all the blame on expectations when one literally cannot find or build houses under certain square footages seems to be more about wanting to think positive thoughts about older generations and negative thoughts about younger generations.

It’s more complex than that.

In fairness I don't want a 1000 foot 1 bath vinyl job next to me - and they can't anyway - HOA. They built some low cost neighbourhoods here in the burbs maybe 7 or 8 years ago - 1500 3/2 vinyl, small lots. You drive through you have vinyl fences falling down, no one planted even one tree ever, street full of cars many covered in dust or flat tires.

The old neighborhood inner city places have become unlivable too, so there being gentrified. There seems to no longer be a way to keep crime out of low income places.

It is far more complex than zoning or money. No idea the solution.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

The average person in this country now lives very well compared with how they lived 30 years ago and very well compared with the rest of the world.

I don't see myself and my wife as average. Not in the least, compared to our observations of "the average citizen" in the US today. Far from it.

But we got here by WORKING, by having a mentality of bettering ourselves, doing what we were supposed to do, not being a burden on taxpayers, thinking and planning ahead.

Our society in the US used to AWARD people like us. Today, we are penalized. We are looked over and looked to as the ones who should be providing for and bailing out those that choose not to do what we did. I said choose.

I like to think that we are MUCH better off today and live much better than I did 30-40-50 years ago because of MY efforts.

 

[alarmguy]

Lots of very different measurements. Are private schools currently a minimum requirement for the vast majority of American families if one expected their children to receive a productive education? I have heard, in much of America public schools are no longer focused on the basic four that most of us received at public schools (Math, Science, History, and English).

Getting by and living comfortably are not necessarily equal.

We all use ourselves as an example compared to the chart. I am not sure that is applicable. I drive salvage cars, move myself,- typically cross country with over 15 thousand pounds in tools and hardware items alone every 18 +/- months, I could go on and on. So, I expect I am in the "get by" crowd, not the living comfortable crowd. I suspect I have enough income to buy new cars, pay movers, etc.- by I chose not to. That doesn't mean the living comfortably chart is erroneous- it just may not make sense if one only used their life experience as the sole measuring stick. I know plenty of people that fix nothing ever in their house, install nothing, etc. Every issue involves a phone call to a contractor/installer/ repair service.

States are large/huge land masses. Even inside of those states things vary greatly. I would suggest that anyone can get by comfortably by making use of the lower cost areas of a state. As @Astro14 points out in his well written post. We are spoiled with luxuries yet even along the coastal areas of the Carolinas an entry pay type worker can go out and buy a brand new home in a tract type community, repeat, brand new, with all the latest modern day appliances and bathrooms that didnt exist in the 1950s in lower priced homes. Actually these homes would be luxury to those back then. Since brand new, will not need improvements or repairs for at least a decade and more.
Cost 200s including small community pool. This is right outside, near a resort areas and beaches too. Head a bit more inland and even better. Same with NYS where on Long Island you do need a mostly above 6 figure income to survive in a safe place. But upstate NY you can cut that down significantly. (just discussing here)

"Living Comfortably" is very subjective by the writer in a country with states that varies right down to county and city you are in.
Tom Cruise definition of "comfortably" will be different than those of many different groups of people in the USA and world.

 

[SC Maintenance]

That is a critical datapoint. Is the increase in quality of life by certain measurements for many Americans due to increased efficiencies and production, or deficit spending? One can live really well if using credit as income, until...........

Debt is simply future consumption pulled forward. So were all living large for now, total Debt - govt+private+household is 3.1X GDP - which is actualyl better than much of the world. Global average is 3.5X

 

[zzyzzx]

Income a family of four need to live comfortably by state in the U.S.​

 

[SC Maintenance]

Same here man. They said back in the mid 2010's each kid costs about 180k from newborn to 18 years old. I doubt it's figuring in college tuition. Imagine what it is now.

I would do that math for you but it would make me cry. I have 1 year of college left on 1 and 2 on the other - she has decided to get a masters -

 

[IndyIan]

Same here man. They said back in the mid 2010's each kid costs about 180k, imagine what it is now.

Well you can spend less if you want! Or much more!
Almost any sport can turn into an infinite money/time pit if you want, if your kid is in the top 25-35% of natural athletic ability, as you can train/buy your way onto a pretty high level team for a lot of years if you start them early...

 

[JeffKeryk]

Case in point really… if you sold tomorrow, what would the next buyer be paying? Assuming you’re both of about the same means/income, what’s the ramification?!?

Or what would he be paying on his next purchase? I have a friend in that situation; she has a big home and would like to downsize, but her under 3% fixed rate is free money nowadays.

 

[4WD]

It’s overrun by Californians escaping a high cost of living but who don’t understand what actually causes high costs of living.

To be fair the Texans are pretty awful too. They are the most aggressive, inconsiderate drivers… until they encounter a hill. They blow stop signs, go 95 mph in town, and then freak out and go 20 mph in the mountains.

…then crash right next to the Californians the minute it snows.

To be fair - you are full of yourself - or something …

 

[JeffKeryk]

Dying with $60 million while still living in squalor is profoundly stupid.

There should be middle ground. Money is a tool; you can't eat it, but you know about a fool and his money...

 

[John105]

There should be middle ground. Money is a tool; you can't eat it, but you know about a fool and his money...

Laurence Olivier, learned at the end of Marathon Man, that it wasn’t pleasant eating diamonds.

Dustin Hoffman told him he could keep, as many as he could eat…

 

[JeffKeryk]

Debt is simply future consumption pulled forward. So were all living large for now, total Debt - govt+private+household is 3.1X GDP - which is actualyl better than much of the world. Global average is 3.5X

Yeah, but I look at it differently; debt is a tool. Debt is using other people's money to gain an asset. I thought I needed a new 1990 black on black Corvette; I used debt to get one. I was beat up after 1 year and dumped it for a huge loss. I bought a home in Los Gatos during the downturn of the early 1990's. It was all I could afford. I used debt, refinanced to get lower rates, to gain an asset that is $2M in today's market.

Like any tool, use it wisely.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Raised 4 kids with no where near that. I guess we're more broke than even I thought.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Interesting chart. Of course it is in a MACRO basis. I wonder how state income and state/ local sales tax figure into the equationView attachment 218958.

What a crock.

So lower upper then upper middlle class and below - you are uncomfortable?
Whatever that means.
Didn't read the thread - so give me a pass, lol.

 

[IndyIan]

What a crock.

So lower upper then upper middlle class and below - you are uncomfortable?
Whatever that means.
Didn't read the thread - so give me a pass, lol.

I think it is a little above the number where you have enough money that, averaged over society, having more won't make you any happier, or live longer. For some people the amount of money to be very comfortable is much lower, and some people much higher, and some people are miserable SOB's at any income level...
But for an early retirement by 60, , bigger newer house, mostly newer cars, a couple moderately expensive vacations every year, put two kids through college, etc I guess the number is pretty reasonable.
If you don't have kids and aren't interested in moderately expensive vacations, like your older cars, like your older solid home, for sure you are living comfortably for much much less.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Yeah, but I look at it differently; debt is a tool. Debt is using other people's money to gain an asset. I thought I needed a new 1990 black on black Corvette; I used debt to get one. I was beat up after 1 year and dumped it for a huge loss. I bought a home in Los Gatos during the downturn of the early 1990's. It was all I could afford. I used debt, refinanced to get lower rates, to gain an asset that is $2M in today's market.

Like any tool, use it wisely.

Depends on whether you use your debt to build a productive asset, or use it to inflate the price of a meme stock or playstation 17.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

The OP chart is off the wall and generated for clicks. (not at all directed at the OP)

This is more realistic
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/06/how-much-money-a-family-of-4-needs-to-get-by-in-every-us-state.html

and with taxpayer assistance you can cut these numbers way lower.

Way overly optimistic. 30% discretionary and 20% savings!? Not a chance in California.