What do you consider a "decent" income?

[Wishing on a star]

NO!!! Antkim... This is a complete misunderstanding!!! I am sooo sorry that things have been taken the wrong way! I can see that this is a very demanding position for your DH to take, and I am happy for the big raise!!!! I NEVER said that anyone did not work hard!!!!

I actually welcomed your thread about 'income' and 'standard of living' as a place to vent about my overall thoughts and experiences, and to try to make my point to others. I have seen many times where people from other areas, such as the Northeast, have a negative view of the way things and people are here where I live. In general, we do not enjoy the same standard of living here... We can be college educated, hard workers, etc... and because we do not DO the same things, and HAVE the same things, etc. there is this negative connotation of like 'trailer trash'.... I had a friend who lives in the Northeast... She expected us to be able to live like they did, and enjoy the things, like vacations, cruises,, homes on a lake, etc... And, since we didn't, we must not be 'sacrificing'.... I felt like she started thinking of us as 'white trash'. We are no longer friends.... And, this is just one example of many......

Hope this clears everything up!

 

[antkim]

Thanks Sue! I'm glad it wasn't just me.

Kim

 

[AirForceRocks]

Originally posted by snoopy
In Washington, D.C., for a family of 4, you're going to need a minimum family income of $100,000 per year to live less than "middle class". You really need more like $150,000 between the 2 of you to raise a family in this area. If you move further out to the suburbs, you can survive on less, but then you have to factor into the mix parking, gas and wear & tear on the car (or subway fares) if you work in the city. Its unusual to see many SAHM's here, unless the husband or the wife makes a salary in excess of $120,000 or so (unusual for government jobs). And even then you might struggle.

Yep!!


We fall right at the median income for DC, but we have no housing expenses and our commutes are almost non-existant. DH walks to the end of the block and catches the shuttle to work, and I drive 5 miles each way.

We could make make an additional $36,000/year in housing money if we chose to move to the suburbs, but what is the time with our kids worth? That's what we would lose by adding a long commute to an already busy day.

 

[6_Time_Momma]

Originally posted by Kitty 34
Wow! I'm surprised at Michigan's amount! That amount certainly isn't the "norm" for our area at all!! But then when I think about it, I think our county is suppose to be one of the poorest in Michigan!

As far as I'm concerned with our income.....we're doing fine if we can pay the bills, take a "big" trip yearly plus save a little bit here and there.

Our county is way below that, too. Heck, we don't even make median income and that's with a family of 8! I would love to make the median amount!

 

[antkim]

Thanks for clearing that up WOAS!!! It's hard to "read" someone's tone sometimes! Sorry for the misunderstanding. Your post wasn't there when I last responded. I'm sorry about your friend. Her loss! I have friends that make in the 20's a year and friends that make 500,000 a year. They live completely different life styles LOL but they are still just the same to me-FRIENDS! I'm just glad to be "where" we are or hopefully will be!

Kim

 

[polyfan]

A 15.00 raise here would be prettymuch unheard of unless changing professions did that. $15.00an hour is actually good pay here, in fact it is probably alot more than many make here.

 

[polyfan]

A 15.00 raise here would be prettymuch unheard of unless changing professions did that. $15.00an hour is actually good pay here, in fact it is probably alot more than many make here. I am kind of curious as to some of the posts with salaries mentioned as to what the professions are since the majority mentioned don't come close to what people make here.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks Kim!

And, Polyfan, I see you are from Virginia... Your post kind of backs up my point about incomes/standards of living in different areas! It really has nothing to do with how smart, hardworking, or anything else.

I have family and friends from the Northeast... and the South. So, believe me, I know from plenty of experience. These attitudes and this 'Misunderstanding' that has happened here is VERY common!!!! My one friend actually said, when I mentioned we simply could not do some things she was talking about doing.... "Well, we really 'sacrifice' for what we have!!!!" Hhhhhmmmm, like DH and I have not sacrificed enough. We are not smart enough. or hardworking enough??? We are college educated... DH has worked and advanced in his professional position now for FIFTEEN years... He makes fair money for this area... I would say that dividing his gross out, it would come to $19.00 an hour. Not much more that that $15.00 raise.

Whether one is 'hardworking' etc... has absolutely NOTHING to do with it. That was actually my whole point!!! Let's hope that sharing this info will make everyone more aware of where others are coming from!!!

 

[antkim]

Just want to clarify 1 thing. He is NOT getting a 15 dollar/hr raise. He is taking a new position, at a different hospital, and getting most of his pay(like I already said) from shift differential(11-7 pays the most) and taking on the role of the charge nurse. He also has to work alternating weekends so he gets weekend differential.

Kim

 

[crazelion]

I completely understand the North and South argument . Everytime a northern company takes over a Southern company we have many issues here: uneducated, dumb hicks, weather and everything else. It seems they don't understand our laid back lifestyles. They is use to making more money then we are. Here where I am 30000 is considering a good living anything above that you can buy a BMW.

I live in a all bricked 3 bedroom with 1 bath and car port with a huge backyard and frontyard and only paid 65,000 for the house total.

 

[DocRafiki]

That chart was interesting. It looks like the median income isn't really a comfortable income from the responses here, and definitely not from my perspective. I can't imagine trying to support even one child on what I make.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by polyfan
A 15.00 raise here would be prettymuch unheard of unless changing professions did that. $15.00an hour is actually good pay here, in fact it is probably alot more than many make here. I am kind of curious as to some of the posts with salaries mentioned as to what the professions are since the majority mentioned don't come close to what people make here.

When my husband was an engineer he was making over $75 an hour. He is a director of a division of engineers now.

 

[polyfan]

An engineer here makes about 40,000- a little more if they been at it for a long time.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by polyfan
An engineer here makes about 40,000- a little more if they been at it for a long time.

That is less then $20 an hour! That is ridiculous.

 

[snoopy]

That is less then $20 an hour! That is ridiculous.

Yeah, but $65,000 for a house is pretty amazing.

Everything's relative. Here in D.C., decent homes in or close to the city start at almost a half a million and go up from there. They have to pay us more here because the cost of living is so much more.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by skiwee1
That is less then $20 an hour! That is ridiculous.

Ridiculous in Maryland possibly, maybe quite nice in Virginia. $75 per hour may be good in Maryland, maybe chump-change in Alaska, Hawaii or San Francisco. It is all relative, primarily driven by both location and average standards of living.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by snoopy
Yeah, but $65,000 for a house is pretty amazing.

Everything's relative. Here in D.C., decent homes in or close to the city start at almost a half a million and go up from there. They have to pay us more here because the cost of living is so much more.

'

I realize the cost of living factors in but Virginia isn't all rural. There are plenty of engineers working out of Richmond that make over $150,000. I know some so I know it's true. They also live right outside of Richmond in expensive homes. I just find it ridiculous for a degreed engineer to make such a small salary.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Ridiculous in Maryland possibly, maybe quite nice in Virginia. $75 per hour may be good in Maryland, maybe chump-change in Alaska, Hawaii or San Francisco. It is all relative, primarily driven by both location and average standards of living.

I agree and also think $75 is chump change here in Maryland where the cost of living is high. Lucky for us that was a few years ago! It surprises me that Maryland has the highest income on the site posted. I do not know anyone that can get by on that here. I can't speak for Alaska but Hawaii is about the same in terms of salary. DH was offered a job there and it was comparable to here. Because the cost of living was slightly higher it didn't make it worth it. Although when he retires we are moving to Maui.

 

[skiwee1]

I just wanted to add that I am not critizing anyone on here for making a certain salary. I just find it strange for someone that has been an engineer for a long time to only be making $20 an hour. If it took them a while to make that amount then what are they starting at to begin with? Where is the incentive for going to college? I guess I feel that getting a college degree is worth much more then that considering the time and effort one has to put into to get it. I haven't worked outside the home in 15 years so I'm definitely out of the loop on certain things but I know what I pay my engineers. I also know what they are making when I get their resumes. These guys are from all over the US and none are making less then $100,000. They come from Maryland, California, Virginia , and New Jersey. I would think that I would commute a bit to make triple the money. That way you could live in a place that has a lower cost of living and make a salary higher then in your area. The best of both worlds so to speak. That is what my SIL does. She lives in a rural part of MD where there are no really good paying jobs and commutes across the state line to a place that pays much better then she could make where she lives. She has a gorgeous house she only paid $200,000 that I couldn't touch in my area for under $750,000. I do realize there is a cost of living factor everywhere. I just can't get over the $20 a hour for an engineer that has been at it for a long time.

 

[maleficent1959]

Florida's median was something like $56,000 but our county median is only just under $24,000. I'm in Pensacola in Escambia County. Engineers are the ones here making $60,000 and that is with experience, not right out of college. Our teachers starting salaries in the public schools are just about $22,000. $24,000 with a Master's degree. When I moved here 5 years ago I was suprised that people were thrilled to make $10 an hour. I see nursing positions advertising for $12 an hour. Sure different than Phoenix or southeast Michigan was.

Of course, the flip side is that we were able to buy a beautiful four-bedroom home on an acre in a nice neighborhood for $119,500 -- the exact same price we sold our 1300 square foot house on a tiny lot in Tempe, Arizona for. Our property taxes are only $1600. While the salaries here are really low comparatively so is the cost of living.

Of course attorneys, architects, doctors...they're going to make big salaries wherever they live. Here they are the people that have the big beautiful homes on the water and condos at the beach.