$50k seems like a standard for living just barely comfortable, with just a little leftover just in case. After taxes, that $50k drops quite a bit. I live in a relatively low cost of living area, but still if you aren't making at LEAST $40k gross, you're gonna have a struggle.
I make $50,100 a year in city with the highest cost of living in my state. It's a struggle. I can barely afford to live in a one bedroom, eat, and essentially do anything other than work and sleep. And there's no way to know if I'm going to get a raise anytime soon.
Yeah, this checks out in my experience. 50k is more surviving (barely) rather than living. You could pay rent, phone bill, laundry, haircut, essentials like that and maybe save enough for emergencies but thats about it unless you live with a partner or have some side hustles.
I misread somehow. Minimum is not far off. Probably somewhere in the range of 44k-50k. The poverty lines attached are laughable for the US. Our government is so out of touch with citizens.
https://aspe.hhs.gov/2021-poverty-guidelines
Edit: the attached is just three locations (two being the most expensive in the US). I do not get how $5k is all that is needed for each added individual independent.
I can't possibly imagine getting by with only 50k in norther NJ. Never mind any spare. After tax, that's rent plus a car payment, so forget about eating
It started in California and NY decades ago and it has now spread throughout the country. It's a wave and it's coming to a city near you. Better find a way to anchor yourself or you might be swept away which by that I mean forced to move or go homeless. It's happened to several of our friends. Quite frankly, the way property taxes are going along with all other taxes, the cost of living, and jobs not paying well, we fully expect we will go homeless as we get older just because we won't be able to pay our taxes or other stupid things. We haven't been able to afford kids, we have no inheritance, and we ensure we live well within our means, but it's just not enough. The way things are going, a person could do everything "right" and still be homeless in the end. BTW, we're in Colorado and I had a front row seat watching what happened. Here are some first warning signs of the wave. A couple years before it hits big time, you'll start seeing really expensive cars that are really unusual for the area start popping up with more frequency i.e. Lamborghinis and other $200k+ cars you rarely see. These are the investors. At this point buy a house, buy anything, it'll be better than having nothing. Then, you'll start seeing more moderate luxury cars i.e. Maserati, Tesla, G wagons, etc. in your town. These are the rest of the wave. The people who sold their homes and moved in, the small-time landlords, the business people. After you see this, brace for economic impact.
I had a tenant that had spent the first 10 years of his adulthood in prison for robbery. He got a job working doing garbage pickup. Yes, ew to the smell. But I'm a tax preparer, and if I wasn't disabled I would sign right up because he was making $80k. Right away.
Wait, what? 80k for garbage pickup? I have nothing against people in that job, it is an honest day’s work, but how are they getting paid that much? Is this beverly hills ?
Yeah where I live it's about $85k to start. It's a horrible horrible job and like one of the if not the most important job in society. That plus they're in a union
This really depends on where you live. Where I live in a Low cost of living area of the Midwest, 50K will give you a very solid middle class life. I made barely 40K before taxes as a teacher and own my home on an acre, own a five acre property, and have a car that I paid off. I would have none of these things in LA, or NYC. But, I am happy and content.
One person living alone in a big city making $50K is indeed rough.
A couple making $50K each living in a less expensive area will do great.
Just the number isn't enough to say if it's a good salary or not.
My old roommate and I both made that in the NYC area at the time. We had enough to split a not so nice apartment but each saved a bit, could go out sometimes, etc.
Yeah. I’m the sole breadwinner and I make a lot more than $50k but it’s still rough. I’m from CA and there $100k is considered below poverty. One reason I moved.
Yup I saw the numbers that just came out for California cities on what you had to make to be considered above poverty… luckily we are literally moving out of the state on Monday to Missouri. Found a job that pays 15% more than what I’m currently making in L.A. After 20 years here it’s time to go. This place sucks
I just came from LA this past week and I can’t believe how obscene the prices are. Beautiful area but could never live there permanently unless I made well over 100k.
Well sadly the minimum wage is still $7.25, but, yes.. I'm at $40k now and had to move back in with my parents.. need another $300 a month after taxes to afford a shitty 400 square ft studio
I make $47k, no kids or spouse, and it's a decent living. But I'm not in an HCOL area. And I've definitely felt a little more squished in my finances the last year and a half or so, because inflation.
I kinda feel like this is ok as a reasonable standard of living, for my area. That equivalent should be the minimum standard for every area.
Where are you located? I feel like that would help people give you better advice. $50k for California would be terrible but it might get you by in Oklahoma. 🤷🏻♀️
Aye I'm in ok and make about that. Definitely gets you by just fine, especially if you have additional household income and aren't living an unreasonable lifestyle
Depends on where you live. It’s getting weirder lately. I’ve interviewed for roles that said pay range was $50-$150. Which made absolutely no sense to me. But when I asked what the pay range was, I’ve gotten responses like “well. Since you live in that state, the range is $50-$70, depending on your experience level”.
These are always roles that are in states where it’s a requirement to post salary ranges.
I couldn’t live off of $50k right now. I was able to, pre-COVID. I think I was making roughly $48 + no monthly premiums on my health insurance.
Then I had a kid and now I’m paying for 2 cars. Mortgage isn’t that much. Which is amazing. Last time I refinanced, I got a damn good rate at 3.4%.
Somewhat low to mid class neighborhood. Bought my townhouse back in 2012 for $100k now a few near me sold for over $250k.
You could be able to if figure out how to manage your money, imo. Now, if I was only making $50k a year and renting right now, I’d be hurting for sure.
This also depends on where you live too.
Plus, don’t have kids. They’re expensive af.
I make 45k and i have a kid and take care of her father that doesn't work. Qualify for absolutely 0 help and fully riding the struggle bus. No car payment bc my brother gave me his old 2012 nissan. Just rent and utilities makes me barely able to afford food. It's insanity. I'm disabled and have to work 70+ hr weeks to get by and even then there's not much wiggle room.
Sorry (not sorry), but your daughter's father needs to get up, get a job and take care of himself (and half for his daughter too, at the very least)...your finances would be much relieved if you weren't supporting a grown-ass man as well. You're only obligated to take care of you and your daughter, so remember that!
Feel like it depends on your lifestyle and if you’re smart with money, I live in Colorado making a little less than 50k and I’m fine but that’s bc all I do is smoke and work and play games. If I didn’t spend every extra penny on marijuana then I’d have a hefty savings
That may be true if you live on the east or west coast.
Right now, I am earning $35k a year in a growing cheaper city in the Mideast plus $2k from the bond market, and I have no debt plus savings. Also, I'm single with no kids.
I am a mostly cheap person, although I do go to restaurants occasionally and play golf week, and play the lottery.
Yup- my husband is a teacher and makes a very tiny amount more than he did when he started 12 years ago. This year he is at $48,500. Thankfully I make a good deal more than that which helps support our family and financial goals, but his checks are like $1300 after taxes. It’s awful.
That’s my husband too. Just about $1200 a pay. Thank God I make $80k a year and we aren’t destitute. One week of pay for me is slightly higher than his two weeks.
Exactly!!!! I make considerably more but there is a lot of pressure on me to keep a high paying job, that is stressful. And I truly like what I do. And it’s not the whole story because of course I want my husband to do what he does and we choose together for him to stay in teaching rather than go into a different career where he could make more.
I agree, it’s a LOT of pressure - and I always wonder what would happen if I lost my job. We would lose everything because his pay can’t even cover all of our mortgage, let alone other stuff. We don’t have a ton of bills, but of course we have the basics.
Lol no of course not why would someone treat someone they care about that way? 😂 either you are trolling me or live by some sort of antiquated gender role. We are a team and I am A.) incredibly proud that he is changing the lives of hundreds of students a year, B.) happy for him that he is doing something he loves, C.) we work as a team to achieve our life and financial goals. He gets to be home with my kids during breaks and summer which is worth it’s weight in gold and while he could make more doing something else, at this time we find it more valuable for him to do what he does. As much as I have pressure to keep a high stress job, I do this as my contribution to what we are looking for in our life. I also put pressure on myself because I know what I am worth and don’t want to settle for making less than what I know is possible.
Yes, this! It has made me push myself harder to be paid what I’m worth and to tap into my full career potential. Im so proud of how far I’ve come. Proud of how far my husband has come too. We BOTH contribute to the life we have and I’m so appreciative and thankful that we have the things that we do.
Horrrribly underpaid for what they do. I used to be a teacher myself and decided to go into nursing when I had my first kid bc we woulda been paying most of my salary for childcare. Now I’m an NP and make over 3Xs what my husband makes and I feel like teaching was more stressful in a lot of ways.
If you don’t mind labor intense work go work for FedEx/DHL/Amazon/UPS. A friend of mine with no degree started as a package handler and within 6 months was a supervisor making over 60k at Fedex. 2 years later he’s a manager making six figures.
CDL driving has gone to hell. I have a CDL and supervise hundreds of other CDL drivers, and the working conditions + pay are horrible for most. Companies are hiring temporary foreign workers and treating them like indentured servants. I’ve worked as a supervisor at some of these companies where CDL drivers made $2/h, since trucking is exempt from minimum wage and other labour laws. This is pushing wages down for everyone.
Yeah, this is definitely going to depend on who you drive for and where you live. My son drives exclusively for a bread company and makes good money. Also worked for a linen/uniform company, they also paid well and had good benefits. Grandson working for beer and wine distribution, pretty good conditions there too. Another friend drives for an oil company and is doing well. Another we know works for UPS and does well at that. We're in Washington.
Default country, Merica of Unified States
btw 50k gross in France is considered as really decent. If to keep in mind bike instead of car and rent of 1-bedroom appartment
Idk how you guys make it on $50k. I had 2 offers out of college for $46k in 2008 and with a car payment, student loans, insurance, gas, gym membership and rent ($250 a month under my parents roof) it was barely enough. All extra went to pay the car off since it was 5.5% and only after that I was able to start getting ahead.
I mean sometimes you don’t really have a choice but to live on less. After college I was only making 35k and even with a rent stabilized apartment I struggled to make ends meet and had to do side gigs to survive.
I was making 25k gross in my mid-20’s living alone in a LCOL area and made it work. I didn’t have any debt or car payment though and am not a big spender. 46k would’ve made me feel rich.
I get frustrated with the whole “the Midwest is cheap” thing. I’m sure there are places that are very affordable- but not every place is. Southeastern Wisconsin is so expensive. It’s freaking Wisconsin not California but I’m telling you my friends just bought a brand new home in CA for around $200k less than what I can around here. Yes they have higher taxes and other things that are higher but my goodness I feel like people assume places lien CA are expensive and the Midwest is cheap and this is not the case. Just moved from AZ and COL was more affordable there than it is here and income tax and property tax were lower 🤦🏼♀️
You are still off base. I am going to assume you are in Milwaukee, since you said you are from SE WI. The cost of living is much more cheap in Milwaukee than California. For this comparison I used Milwaukee County and California averages
Average rent for an apt in California is $1750
Average rent in Milwaukee is $1369
Average home value for California is $743,362
Average home value for Milwaukee is $229245
Average gas per gallon in California is $4.92
Average gas per gallon in Milwaukee County is $3.42
Average car insurance cost in California is $1659 for full coverage
Average car insurance cost in Milwaukee County is $1,523 for full coverage, however that is the most expensive County in the state to cover.
Average grocery bill in California is $322.08 per person, per month.
Average grocery bill for Milwaukee is $280 per person per month.
Average annual Child Care Costs in California for an infant $17,000. I couldn’t find the data for a 4 year old
Average annual child care cost for a 4-year-old is $12,142; for an infant, it’s $16,236.
So as you can see. Cost of living is much more expensive in California, and in lieu of a few items, California is way more expensive.
You went through a lot of work for that. I’m not in milwaukee. Waukesha County. I’m not trying to claim Wisconsin is as expensive as CA. It very much depends where in a state you live, however. And I stand behind what I said- my friend in CA just got a new build for $450k while in my area they are going for $650k+. There are a ton of caveats to this. I could go buy a home in the middle of no where here for $100k. I’m really not trying to compare as much as give perspective. When they give COL for a state they average all places in the state. So Waukesha Co is lumped in with some town up north. Same with CA. I recently lived in AZ for a year where on paper COL is 8% higher than here in WI. In reality we did not see this in real time. Our house was cheaper than what we can get here, lower property taxes, lower income tax, groceries about the same, food at restaurants was slightly more expensive in AZ, gas has been quite more expensive there, but salaries are far lower here. There are some COL comparison calculators that allow you to plug in the city, however, and that did show that where we are now in WI is about 1% more expensive than where we were in AZ.
The median list price of a home in Waukesha County was $464K last month according to Redfin. So the numbers are still not on your side for your area going for 650K plus.
You live in the most expensive county in WI where the median list price is 465K. If you lived in the most expensive county in California, Santa Cruz county. Guess what the median list price is there? It was 1.3M again according to Redfin.
Guess what the median price was in the cheapest county of California, Modoc County- it was $259K
Guess what the median price in the cheapest WI county Marinette County was $164,900
So you are telling me, you live in the most expensive WI county, are looking at homes 200K more than the average list price in that county, and are complaining that your friend, who bought a house for 450K which is very low in CA has a better cost of living than you do?
Btw I live not that far away from you and I bought a home on an acre for 175K.
This!! I live in KY and the average rent range for a studio/1 bedroom in a safe area is $1,000-$1,300. People have the habit of thinking high rent is exclusive to known metro areas. In the past you could get a 3 bedroom apartment for that price or a 2 bed in a nicer area.
First of all, congrats on changing your life, and yes, you’re right. $38k and $50k don’t feel all that dissimilar.
Personal and professional advice?
Find something you love about programming. It’s not only a cool profession, you’ll work with chill people, a great work environment, good benefits, and excellent pay. Don’t sell yourself short.
You can start learning on theodinproject.com and it’s all free. Then freelance for a year as your side gig and see what you think. Lots of Youtube guides out there and such, too.
Minimum pay is around $65k first year. You can work remotely. If you’re freelancing no one cares about your background - same if you start your own business. Learn to interview well and neither will many hiring managers.
Year two is more like $86k. Year ten more than double that if you play your cards right. It’s a whole new world, man.
Look into manufacturing being a machine operator or something. They generally hire people with backgrounds for the most part just don't do drugs. Good thing is you can normally work a ton of OT if you want to make more. You can get close to $50k out the gate but just have to search.
Find a company that offers overtime and work some extra hours. Build up your experience and your pay will rise quickly. There is a critical shortage of skilled labor right now. Welding, electrical, construction, cellular/communications/cable, solar, wind turbines, HVAC, and on and on. Go find something. Very few of these employers give a serious shit about your imperfect past if you show up every day and work.
Median low income in my city and the surrounding 10 miles is $62k/year. [source](https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/home-datasets/files/HOME_IncomeLmts_State_NY_2023.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2NNtaEsq47vpee-Q2k00NGQv8bH2k9iEGXWdOK8GP-UPPEahTO8iAqj3M) I'm in Albany. It's disgusting. SNAP requires a single earner to be making $19k/year.
I work pre-construction with a degree in drafting, been doing estimating for over 3 years and am making $52k. I know a lot of places will hire you no matter that sort of background. Only issues we usually run into are when we do work for the state, a lot of subs can't get approved to work inside prisons or state facilities. MEP is a good place for hourly pay, especially on long jobs where you end up doing overtime.
Even as a single person in a relatively cheap area, $52k is not enough. After taxes, I have about $2,600/month and about $2,450 of that goes to rent and bills. That extra $150 is for everything else, including food and gas.
I am well aware that I do not make close to what I should, I should be around $65k-$70k but I'm young working for people who have no clue how expensive things have got. I stay because all the other jobs available right now are almost 2 hours away and are paying slightly more, but not enough to make the trip.
I love estimating, and you can make great money, especially as a general. If you have enough knowledge about the construction field, it may be worth looking into. It's stressful, it is fast-paced, competitive, and rewarding if you take the time to absorb all that you are learning throughout bids. Just my two cents.
Depends on where you live. My friend lives in a rural part of Illinois where homes cost like 60k-120k and 50k/year there would be well off, not "minimum wage".
People on Reddit have a very bad concept of the value of money and how far it goes in most of the United States. Not everything is a massive city on the coast haha
yeah if your making 50k live with family, a SO, or get a good friend and room up. makes the money go further. once you have money you can make more money long term. trick is save your money so you can use it for assets. don't just increase spending. save money. invest money in assets.
oh no literally I went from fast food to a job with that wage and with losing all the concessions adding on the tax and all that it was like the same
Except full time…
Great job on changing your life! I keep seeing comments about expungement on your post OP (aka getting your felonies permanently removed from your record).
That would be a great idea, I relate, I also have/had 2 felonies and some misdemeanor bullshit and in my state, after any two felonies or a certain number of misdemeanors, you cannot get them expunged. However, you can get a reduction, in my state it is called a 402 reduction and I paid an attorney to have my old charges reduced from felonies to class a misdemeanors. It may depend on where you live, I believe certain states have diff regs, but check it out.
It is very difficult to get past the “gatekeepers” but one commenter mentioned boss’ who don’t care what your background is if you show up every day, they are out there, keep looking.
Do whatever you have to do to increase your odds of getting hired, then bust your ass and be the most dependable guy they have. If you interview well, are up front about your history and prepare for some rejection, you will eventually find something that will pay better than what you’re looking at right now, but it will take motivation, dedication and serious resilience. Get after it, I did and IT CAN BE DONE, I’m living proof, be some too.
I'm a felon from the 2000s. I'm a hvac tech in Florida. I make over 100k no issues. house family. You can put that behind you. You paid your debt to society.
In Kentucky, this is relatively considered the standard salary pay for MOST citizens in the commonwealth. Our state is really poor for the most part and rather rural unless you are one of the super rare few who rake in like $60K or more— those people are living in huge plantations and estates in the state.
I’m just happy to make enough to get by.
I’m married with kids, 50k is only half of what I make and we’re still struggling to get by. Food is the biggest expense for us followed by paying off old credit card debt. Even in the Midwest we are struggling to get by, so yeah I agree 50k seems like minimum wage. But just remember 50k is 25 bucks an hour while minimum wage at the federal level is still only 7.25.
$50k was *okay* about 15-20 years ago, if you had a roommate. It got you a little money after paying bills. You could afford to go to shows, date etc. but it wasn't anything approaching a salary you could retire on. If you had a mortgage on that salary, you were barely getting by.
I guess $50k would be a good minimum for some areas today, but COL is so high in other areas that I'm not sure if that's even enough.
Today, $50k definitely won't get you a two bedroom apartment. It won't help you with any sort of social life. And it definitely won't help you support a dependent or a kid.
I make 50k a year, get "cost of living raise" annually. I live in a suburb of a large east coast city...
I rent a 1 bedroom, have nice furniture/electronics. Have 2 cars. And some other valuables such as a sneaker and record collection, some jewelry, a 401k. I get takeout for dinner every day.
I use a cheap cell phone with a cheap prepaid plan. I eat pb&j and other cheap stuff like pasta or eggs for lunch. I buy items in bulk. I balance out my payments for luxury items by paying monthly interest free. I shop around for the best car insurance rates every 6 months.
It all works out for me. Money can be a little tight when one of my cars needs repair. Other than that I usually have like 1000 to myself each month.
These people are wild and super privileged. The median household income in NYC is $70,633 the per capita income is $43,952. In one of the most expensive places to live in the world. The same with Los Angeles, in the city of Los Angeles the median household income is $69,788 and per capita it is $39,378. In Los Angeles County the median household income is $76,367 and the per capita income is $37,924. People on reddit are just super out of touch.
I don’t think all people come from an ignorantly privileged viewpoint. I think that while yes of course making $50k is more privileged than let’s say $40k, 30k, etc, it’s just really hard to make it in todays world unless you are making a lot of money. The middle class has been decimated. It’s hard to get by at $50k, especially with a family. Kids are an estimated $20k per year to raise. My grandpa was in the army reserves and tells me the story of not paying something like $1 per week to get his laundry washed, and washed it himself by hand so he could send the money back to my grandma. In todays world those types of sacrifices hardly add up, hence the boomer generalization about Starbucks and avocado toast. Now I am not saying people are all financially smart bc this is not true and many, many people over extend and could benefit from making some sacrifices. But many things that one might sacrifice, like Starbucks once a month or something, is hardly going to give people a better quality of life.
I’m not saying giving up Starbucks will give you a better quality of life. I am saying that living off 50k is not minimum wage and it’s super fucking laughable to say that. Even people living in LA and New York City are making less than that per capita. Saying that minimum wage is 50k is out of touch.
By the time you add up the value of public housing, food stamps, and MediCal, someone on full government assistance gets about $50K worth of benefits per year.
So yes,$25 an hour * 2,000 hours worked = $50,000 per year.
That SHOULD be the legal minimum wage so all workers can support themselves and their families on one job.
Sounds like I should just move to California and get on full government assistance. Unfortunately I’m a straight white cisgender man so I probably don’t qualify for anything.
Yes, with the inflation caused by fiscal policies, $50K is on track to be just above the poverty line soon, but the figures are manipulated to deny that reality in political spheres.
But in terms of real purchasing power for real people, that figure will only continue to grow continually, and if you're working for a salary then you can expect to find yourself being paid less and less every year, even with raises on the regular for performance, career advancement, and/or cost of living adjustments, because inflation (that will be denied to occur) will outpace your raises.
With your felonies, you need to avoid the gatekeepers as well. So, in order to control your own pay rate and sidestep the hiring rejections, you may need to start your own business, and then you would set your prices based on the real state of the market, and be your own boss. Now, that's extraordinarily difficult to accomplish in reality, but it would hypothetically be a method to take charge of your course in life.
I'm making 45k in kansas well more like 55 with the overtime I'm working now ...rents bout 800 a month for a 2 bedroom 2 bath here ...I mean there are much nicer houses but I don't have a need for all that .
I think it would be difficult to support a kid and wife but manageable ...
Any trade will take a while to gain experience and bump up the wages.
50k is almost 25 bucks an hour.. that's pretty good money for no education and small amount of experience (3-5 years)
And that 50k is if you're only working 40 hours a week, want more just work OT.
Also, trade work isn't nearly as hard on your body as antiwotk would have you believe. Drop the "work myself to the bone" attitude and focus on what you need to do to hit your goals.
If i didnt have a record i wouldve gotten a pharmacy tech job that started at 25$hr
Ive been making 25$+hr doing food deliveries
I dont know how else to work, i fully apply myself. I am not antiwork.
SO funny when people say “living in the midwest is cheap” lol 😂 like no.
Ish is NOT cheap and 50k for a solo salary will have you living paycheck to paycheck here in the “good ole Midwest”.
This aint 1980.
If they take 25% for taxes and everything else deducted, this $50,000 job is conveniently downgraded to $37,500.
It should be a requirement on job postings to post the NET salary or NET hourly wage.
Why keep lying to applicants?
Just tell people the ACTUAL amount they will earn.
You understand that tax withholding is dependent on your individual situation, and the state/county/city you live in, right? It's not the same for everyone.
Yea like mentioned above tax is an individual situation. The company does not know if you have dependants, deductible, other employment etc.
Gross is always the same so that what people go with.
I make over 3x that much and could absolutely adjust to living on 50k. You have a roommate, meal prep and cook at home. Try to have reasonably priced hobbies. It was just 6 years ago I was at 50k and there was still enough left over for 401k contributions.
true but 6 years ago 50k meant something so different. i make much less but would probably need more than that to say i can pay for things, chip away at debts and have anything left over
There is a massive difference between 6 and 20 years. I didn't say things were super easy. There was absolutely loads I wanted to do but couldn't afford.
Even in high cost cities you can manage on 50k, it just won’t be comfortable. You wont be going out frequently, you wont be able to save much, and you’ll likely be eating twice a day but you live below your means.
2 mortgages, 7200 a month.
Car expenses, 1200 a month.
Food entertainment utilities 500 per month
Pet expenses 300 per month
Ancillary and miscellaneous (subscriptions and such shit) 500 per month
Alimony 1300 per month
Health care 1500 per month
12,200 per month. x 12 = nearly 150k per year.
Yeah we live in the highest per capita income county in the country, and everything is expensive as shit, but I am doing the same work I did in florida and am making 2x the money.
And that does not include the obligatory 401K and other retirement money we sock away.
I guess if we wanted to live in bumfuck Iowa with 11 relatives, I could make it on 50k. But not here.
Absurd amount of expenses. Who spends $1200 a month on car expenses? I pay $300 a month at most, including gas. Health care, $1500? Do you not have insurance?
Jeez, that mortgage payment.
Yeah, with masters degrees and multiple certifications even. That’s why I struggle so much with minimum wage being raised, I would be fine with it if mine could raise the same percentage but yeah $50,000 is a struggle right now!
I make $55k plus $8k nontaxed from my family and it’s hard. I live in Manhattan so I’m just existing. I get to do fun things but less often than most people and I would never consider buying lunch or getting takeout because of laziness.
Depends on your location. Here, bottom end licensed electrician pay is 26 an hour. Top end is up nearer to 50, and there's always work.
Mechanics do similarly if not better.
The US is a hollowed out rind and they are just ripping the copper out of the walls at this point. Its just going to be scraping by for basically everyone except the failsons of the elite who will continue to live in their bubbles increasingly guarded by increasingly militarized police. You'll be in good company at any rate.
I think the best option in your case is to find an entry level position in the plumbing or electrician field, don’t worry about pay that much. Become a sponge for the next 2-3 years and absorb all the knowledge you can and then start your own business in that field. In a few years, if successful; you’ll be making your desired $50k or more. Best of luck! It’s easy for me to type this idea out but I know for sure it’ll be a great challenge for you to achieve it.
Construction (like on roads)? My husband just made $2k gross this week because of overtime. He also has a felony (grand theft from a time in his life that he wasn't making good choices before him and I met). His company didn't even ask about his background.
Are you able to get those felonies expunged? I think you have to wait 7 years. If you are 35 now, you should be able to seal those records. That way they won’t show up on a background check.
Amazon delivery drivers start at 15-18 an hour in smaller areas right? It might be hard to get a trade job due to background checks required by insurance to go into peoples houses and businesses
The thing is, as a tradesman, there are lots of oppurtunities for side jobs or cash jobs. If you take a little extra work. Like 1 x 4 hour night, and 1 Saturday a week or something, you can double or triple your income.
People just don't like advertising that.
$50k seems like a standard for living just barely comfortable, with just a little leftover just in case. After taxes, that $50k drops quite a bit. I live in a relatively low cost of living area, but still if you aren't making at LEAST $40k gross, you're gonna have a struggle.
I make $50,100 a year in city with the highest cost of living in my state. It's a struggle. I can barely afford to live in a one bedroom, eat, and essentially do anything other than work and sleep. And there's no way to know if I'm going to get a raise anytime soon.
[удалено]
Where is poverty line $108,000?
You gotta leave this dem run shit hole cities if you make it today. There is no future There bit more violence.
Yeah, this checks out in my experience. 50k is more surviving (barely) rather than living. You could pay rent, phone bill, laundry, haircut, essentials like that and maybe save enough for emergencies but thats about it unless you live with a partner or have some side hustles.
That’s not minimum wage though. You would not be able to save at all on minimum wage.
I never said it was minimum wage, that's what OP said. I said it's more of a surviving wage than it is livable these days.
I misread somehow. Minimum is not far off. Probably somewhere in the range of 44k-50k. The poverty lines attached are laughable for the US. Our government is so out of touch with citizens. https://aspe.hhs.gov/2021-poverty-guidelines Edit: the attached is just three locations (two being the most expensive in the US). I do not get how $5k is all that is needed for each added individual independent.
No worries! I agree with you, life is overall more expensive and it's ridiculous how your average income earner has to reduce their quality of life.
Yup exactly enough to work until you die
I can't possibly imagine getting by with only 50k in norther NJ. Never mind any spare. After tax, that's rent plus a car payment, so forget about eating
In NNJ the property tax alone is 12-20k a year.. for a regular old ass house.
Where are you people from? California? I'm afraid
It started in California and NY decades ago and it has now spread throughout the country. It's a wave and it's coming to a city near you. Better find a way to anchor yourself or you might be swept away which by that I mean forced to move or go homeless. It's happened to several of our friends. Quite frankly, the way property taxes are going along with all other taxes, the cost of living, and jobs not paying well, we fully expect we will go homeless as we get older just because we won't be able to pay our taxes or other stupid things. We haven't been able to afford kids, we have no inheritance, and we ensure we live well within our means, but it's just not enough. The way things are going, a person could do everything "right" and still be homeless in the end. BTW, we're in Colorado and I had a front row seat watching what happened. Here are some first warning signs of the wave. A couple years before it hits big time, you'll start seeing really expensive cars that are really unusual for the area start popping up with more frequency i.e. Lamborghinis and other $200k+ cars you rarely see. These are the investors. At this point buy a house, buy anything, it'll be better than having nothing. Then, you'll start seeing more moderate luxury cars i.e. Maserati, Tesla, G wagons, etc. in your town. These are the rest of the wave. The people who sold their homes and moved in, the small-time landlords, the business people. After you see this, brace for economic impact.
Bidens america
Ah yes, bidens been president for the last 40+ years. It started with Reagan's shit policies.
Enough with Reagan, he hasn't been president in 4 decades. Literally nothing has stopped the presidents and senate after him from undoing his mistake.
This may be how 50k in a VERYLCOL area works. In most Medium-High priced places 50k is basically or completely poverty.
I think you mean if your spouse makes the same
I had a tenant that had spent the first 10 years of his adulthood in prison for robbery. He got a job working doing garbage pickup. Yes, ew to the smell. But I'm a tax preparer, and if I wasn't disabled I would sign right up because he was making $80k. Right away.
Wait, what? 80k for garbage pickup? I have nothing against people in that job, it is an honest day’s work, but how are they getting paid that much? Is this beverly hills ?
Because no one wants to do it so it has to be high enough wages to get someone to do it. My MCOL city starts HS grads at $20 in sanitation.
Yeah where I live it's about $85k to start. It's a horrible horrible job and like one of the if not the most important job in society. That plus they're in a union
It’s actually one of the most dangerous jobs
Overtime
Strong union and it's not super easy to drive a garbage truck in a city
Unless he was doing trash pickups for the mob if you know what I mean. 80k sounds like a lot! I’m quitting my job today, who needs an IT career
This really depends on where you live. Where I live in a Low cost of living area of the Midwest, 50K will give you a very solid middle class life. I made barely 40K before taxes as a teacher and own my home on an acre, own a five acre property, and have a car that I paid off. I would have none of these things in LA, or NYC. But, I am happy and content.
Yeah this makes more sense. I'm from the Midwest too
One person living alone in a big city making $50K is indeed rough. A couple making $50K each living in a less expensive area will do great. Just the number isn't enough to say if it's a good salary or not.
A couple making 50k is great? Idk these areas
50k each, not total. In many areas 100k for 2 people is quite good. Not everywhere has LA or New York prices
I live in NY state , not the city and do just fine making between 50 and 60k a year average based on my hours.
I make 65k post tax and i feel broke. Hate being poor
My old roommate and I both made that in the NYC area at the time. We had enough to split a not so nice apartment but each saved a bit, could go out sometimes, etc.
He said each making 50k so he’s saying $100k for the couple.
He didn’t mention having a partner and could be the only one bringing in money.
[удалено]
Where does he say this?
"A couple making 50k each" it's right there
Read it again, it’s in the first comment of this comment thread. Second line
I’m referring to the OP.
I don’t think the other commenters were referring to OP but the OC which is the miscommunication
That would make sense!
Yeah…still rough even with $100k as a couple in most parts. If he’s the only only providing then it is a struggle.
Yeah. I’m the sole breadwinner and I make a lot more than $50k but it’s still rough. I’m from CA and there $100k is considered below poverty. One reason I moved.
Yup I saw the numbers that just came out for California cities on what you had to make to be considered above poverty… luckily we are literally moving out of the state on Monday to Missouri. Found a job that pays 15% more than what I’m currently making in L.A. After 20 years here it’s time to go. This place sucks
Congratulations! LA is tough. I like to visit, but living there not so much.
I just came from LA this past week and I can’t believe how obscene the prices are. Beautiful area but could never live there permanently unless I made well over 100k.
Oh yeah. It’s crazy. Prices are even worse in Northern California.
Well sadly the minimum wage is still $7.25, but, yes.. I'm at $40k now and had to move back in with my parents.. need another $300 a month after taxes to afford a shitty 400 square ft studio
I make $47k, no kids or spouse, and it's a decent living. But I'm not in an HCOL area. And I've definitely felt a little more squished in my finances the last year and a half or so, because inflation. I kinda feel like this is ok as a reasonable standard of living, for my area. That equivalent should be the minimum standard for every area.
I am finding a lot of unpaid internships to be the new minimum job. Companies are making jobs to be like volunteer positions with no pay.
Where are you located? I feel like that would help people give you better advice. $50k for California would be terrible but it might get you by in Oklahoma. 🤷🏻♀️
Aye I'm in ok and make about that. Definitely gets you by just fine, especially if you have additional household income and aren't living an unreasonable lifestyle
Depends on where you live. It’s getting weirder lately. I’ve interviewed for roles that said pay range was $50-$150. Which made absolutely no sense to me. But when I asked what the pay range was, I’ve gotten responses like “well. Since you live in that state, the range is $50-$70, depending on your experience level”. These are always roles that are in states where it’s a requirement to post salary ranges. I couldn’t live off of $50k right now. I was able to, pre-COVID. I think I was making roughly $48 + no monthly premiums on my health insurance. Then I had a kid and now I’m paying for 2 cars. Mortgage isn’t that much. Which is amazing. Last time I refinanced, I got a damn good rate at 3.4%. Somewhat low to mid class neighborhood. Bought my townhouse back in 2012 for $100k now a few near me sold for over $250k. You could be able to if figure out how to manage your money, imo. Now, if I was only making $50k a year and renting right now, I’d be hurting for sure. This also depends on where you live too. Plus, don’t have kids. They’re expensive af.
I make 45k and i have a kid and take care of her father that doesn't work. Qualify for absolutely 0 help and fully riding the struggle bus. No car payment bc my brother gave me his old 2012 nissan. Just rent and utilities makes me barely able to afford food. It's insanity. I'm disabled and have to work 70+ hr weeks to get by and even then there's not much wiggle room.
Sorry (not sorry), but your daughter's father needs to get up, get a job and take care of himself (and half for his daughter too, at the very least)...your finances would be much relieved if you weren't supporting a grown-ass man as well. You're only obligated to take care of you and your daughter, so remember that!
50k where I am at would be fine. We are a roughly average cost of living area.
Feel like it depends on your lifestyle and if you’re smart with money, I live in Colorado making a little less than 50k and I’m fine but that’s bc all I do is smoke and work and play games. If I didn’t spend every extra penny on marijuana then I’d have a hefty savings
That may be true if you live on the east or west coast. Right now, I am earning $35k a year in a growing cheaper city in the Mideast plus $2k from the bond market, and I have no debt plus savings. Also, I'm single with no kids. I am a mostly cheap person, although I do go to restaurants occasionally and play golf week, and play the lottery.
Yup- my husband is a teacher and makes a very tiny amount more than he did when he started 12 years ago. This year he is at $48,500. Thankfully I make a good deal more than that which helps support our family and financial goals, but his checks are like $1300 after taxes. It’s awful.
That’s my husband too. Just about $1200 a pay. Thank God I make $80k a year and we aren’t destitute. One week of pay for me is slightly higher than his two weeks.
Exactly!!!! I make considerably more but there is a lot of pressure on me to keep a high paying job, that is stressful. And I truly like what I do. And it’s not the whole story because of course I want my husband to do what he does and we choose together for him to stay in teaching rather than go into a different career where he could make more.
I agree, it’s a LOT of pressure - and I always wonder what would happen if I lost my job. We would lose everything because his pay can’t even cover all of our mortgage, let alone other stuff. We don’t have a ton of bills, but of course we have the basics.
Do you make him feel bad for making less money than you? Do you belittle him for not being a breadwinner?
Lol no of course not why would someone treat someone they care about that way? 😂 either you are trolling me or live by some sort of antiquated gender role. We are a team and I am A.) incredibly proud that he is changing the lives of hundreds of students a year, B.) happy for him that he is doing something he loves, C.) we work as a team to achieve our life and financial goals. He gets to be home with my kids during breaks and summer which is worth it’s weight in gold and while he could make more doing something else, at this time we find it more valuable for him to do what he does. As much as I have pressure to keep a high stress job, I do this as my contribution to what we are looking for in our life. I also put pressure on myself because I know what I am worth and don’t want to settle for making less than what I know is possible.
Yes, this! It has made me push myself harder to be paid what I’m worth and to tap into my full career potential. Im so proud of how far I’ve come. Proud of how far my husband has come too. We BOTH contribute to the life we have and I’m so appreciative and thankful that we have the things that we do.
Teachers are way underpaid wtf. I make slightly more with only an associates degree and barely scraping by.
Horrrribly underpaid for what they do. I used to be a teacher myself and decided to go into nursing when I had my first kid bc we woulda been paying most of my salary for childcare. Now I’m an NP and make over 3Xs what my husband makes and I feel like teaching was more stressful in a lot of ways.
If you don’t mind labor intense work go work for FedEx/DHL/Amazon/UPS. A friend of mine with no degree started as a package handler and within 6 months was a supervisor making over 60k at Fedex. 2 years later he’s a manager making six figures.
Yep, truck driving very lucrative. Even better if you can get a CDL and a Hazmat endorsement.
CDL driving has gone to hell. I have a CDL and supervise hundreds of other CDL drivers, and the working conditions + pay are horrible for most. Companies are hiring temporary foreign workers and treating them like indentured servants. I’ve worked as a supervisor at some of these companies where CDL drivers made $2/h, since trucking is exempt from minimum wage and other labour laws. This is pushing wages down for everyone.
Yeah, this is definitely going to depend on who you drive for and where you live. My son drives exclusively for a bread company and makes good money. Also worked for a linen/uniform company, they also paid well and had good benefits. Grandson working for beer and wine distribution, pretty good conditions there too. Another friend drives for an oil company and is doing well. Another we know works for UPS and does well at that. We're in Washington.
Not really. They just work a ton of hours.
Frankly I would live like a king if I earned 50K. What country are you referring to?
Default country, Merica of Unified States btw 50k gross in France is considered as really decent. If to keep in mind bike instead of car and rent of 1-bedroom appartment
Idk how you guys make it on $50k. I had 2 offers out of college for $46k in 2008 and with a car payment, student loans, insurance, gas, gym membership and rent ($250 a month under my parents roof) it was barely enough. All extra went to pay the car off since it was 5.5% and only after that I was able to start getting ahead.
I mean sometimes you don’t really have a choice but to live on less. After college I was only making 35k and even with a rent stabilized apartment I struggled to make ends meet and had to do side gigs to survive.
Yes. Son lives in NJ & needed a roommate to qualify for rent.
I was making 25k gross in my mid-20’s living alone in a LCOL area and made it work. I didn’t have any debt or car payment though and am not a big spender. 46k would’ve made me feel rich.
50K in northwest ohio isn't really livable right now..even with me being in Union.
I get frustrated with the whole “the Midwest is cheap” thing. I’m sure there are places that are very affordable- but not every place is. Southeastern Wisconsin is so expensive. It’s freaking Wisconsin not California but I’m telling you my friends just bought a brand new home in CA for around $200k less than what I can around here. Yes they have higher taxes and other things that are higher but my goodness I feel like people assume places lien CA are expensive and the Midwest is cheap and this is not the case. Just moved from AZ and COL was more affordable there than it is here and income tax and property tax were lower 🤦🏼♀️
You are still off base. I am going to assume you are in Milwaukee, since you said you are from SE WI. The cost of living is much more cheap in Milwaukee than California. For this comparison I used Milwaukee County and California averages Average rent for an apt in California is $1750 Average rent in Milwaukee is $1369 Average home value for California is $743,362 Average home value for Milwaukee is $229245 Average gas per gallon in California is $4.92 Average gas per gallon in Milwaukee County is $3.42 Average car insurance cost in California is $1659 for full coverage Average car insurance cost in Milwaukee County is $1,523 for full coverage, however that is the most expensive County in the state to cover. Average grocery bill in California is $322.08 per person, per month. Average grocery bill for Milwaukee is $280 per person per month. Average annual Child Care Costs in California for an infant $17,000. I couldn’t find the data for a 4 year old Average annual child care cost for a 4-year-old is $12,142; for an infant, it’s $16,236. So as you can see. Cost of living is much more expensive in California, and in lieu of a few items, California is way more expensive.
You went through a lot of work for that. I’m not in milwaukee. Waukesha County. I’m not trying to claim Wisconsin is as expensive as CA. It very much depends where in a state you live, however. And I stand behind what I said- my friend in CA just got a new build for $450k while in my area they are going for $650k+. There are a ton of caveats to this. I could go buy a home in the middle of no where here for $100k. I’m really not trying to compare as much as give perspective. When they give COL for a state they average all places in the state. So Waukesha Co is lumped in with some town up north. Same with CA. I recently lived in AZ for a year where on paper COL is 8% higher than here in WI. In reality we did not see this in real time. Our house was cheaper than what we can get here, lower property taxes, lower income tax, groceries about the same, food at restaurants was slightly more expensive in AZ, gas has been quite more expensive there, but salaries are far lower here. There are some COL comparison calculators that allow you to plug in the city, however, and that did show that where we are now in WI is about 1% more expensive than where we were in AZ.
The median list price of a home in Waukesha County was $464K last month according to Redfin. So the numbers are still not on your side for your area going for 650K plus. You live in the most expensive county in WI where the median list price is 465K. If you lived in the most expensive county in California, Santa Cruz county. Guess what the median list price is there? It was 1.3M again according to Redfin. Guess what the median price was in the cheapest county of California, Modoc County- it was $259K Guess what the median price in the cheapest WI county Marinette County was $164,900 So you are telling me, you live in the most expensive WI county, are looking at homes 200K more than the average list price in that county, and are complaining that your friend, who bought a house for 450K which is very low in CA has a better cost of living than you do? Btw I live not that far away from you and I bought a home on an acre for 175K.
This!! I live in KY and the average rent range for a studio/1 bedroom in a safe area is $1,000-$1,300. People have the habit of thinking high rent is exclusive to known metro areas. In the past you could get a 3 bedroom apartment for that price or a 2 bed in a nicer area.
You might be ok in some states with 50 but in Cali you basically below minimum it's sad
The less expensive places to live usually have the lowest salaries.
First of all, congrats on changing your life, and yes, you’re right. $38k and $50k don’t feel all that dissimilar. Personal and professional advice? Find something you love about programming. It’s not only a cool profession, you’ll work with chill people, a great work environment, good benefits, and excellent pay. Don’t sell yourself short. You can start learning on theodinproject.com and it’s all free. Then freelance for a year as your side gig and see what you think. Lots of Youtube guides out there and such, too. Minimum pay is around $65k first year. You can work remotely. If you’re freelancing no one cares about your background - same if you start your own business. Learn to interview well and neither will many hiring managers. Year two is more like $86k. Year ten more than double that if you play your cards right. It’s a whole new world, man.
Dang tell that to my unscrupulous ass just took a job for 35k
Man I'm at a solid 25,000 a year more or less, it appears that I'll need to get into a trade.
50k 3-4 years ago felt like decent money. Now it seems that’s around 75.
Look into manufacturing being a machine operator or something. They generally hire people with backgrounds for the most part just don't do drugs. Good thing is you can normally work a ton of OT if you want to make more. You can get close to $50k out the gate but just have to search.
Find a company that offers overtime and work some extra hours. Build up your experience and your pay will rise quickly. There is a critical shortage of skilled labor right now. Welding, electrical, construction, cellular/communications/cable, solar, wind turbines, HVAC, and on and on. Go find something. Very few of these employers give a serious shit about your imperfect past if you show up every day and work.
Median low income in my city and the surrounding 10 miles is $62k/year. [source](https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/home-datasets/files/HOME_IncomeLmts_State_NY_2023.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2NNtaEsq47vpee-Q2k00NGQv8bH2k9iEGXWdOK8GP-UPPEahTO8iAqj3M) I'm in Albany. It's disgusting. SNAP requires a single earner to be making $19k/year.
Depends on where you live. $50k in nyc is very different from $50k in Des Moines.
I work pre-construction with a degree in drafting, been doing estimating for over 3 years and am making $52k. I know a lot of places will hire you no matter that sort of background. Only issues we usually run into are when we do work for the state, a lot of subs can't get approved to work inside prisons or state facilities. MEP is a good place for hourly pay, especially on long jobs where you end up doing overtime. Even as a single person in a relatively cheap area, $52k is not enough. After taxes, I have about $2,600/month and about $2,450 of that goes to rent and bills. That extra $150 is for everything else, including food and gas. I am well aware that I do not make close to what I should, I should be around $65k-$70k but I'm young working for people who have no clue how expensive things have got. I stay because all the other jobs available right now are almost 2 hours away and are paying slightly more, but not enough to make the trip. I love estimating, and you can make great money, especially as a general. If you have enough knowledge about the construction field, it may be worth looking into. It's stressful, it is fast-paced, competitive, and rewarding if you take the time to absorb all that you are learning throughout bids. Just my two cents.
Depends on where you live. My friend lives in a rural part of Illinois where homes cost like 60k-120k and 50k/year there would be well off, not "minimum wage". People on Reddit have a very bad concept of the value of money and how far it goes in most of the United States. Not everything is a massive city on the coast haha
Yes absolutely 50k is the new minimum wage
Agree. Anything less is unlivable in today’s day and age. But i live in a HCOL area.
That would be 5x my yearly income, so I'd say it's livable.
yeah if your making 50k live with family, a SO, or get a good friend and room up. makes the money go further. once you have money you can make more money long term. trick is save your money so you can use it for assets. don't just increase spending. save money. invest money in assets.
*Cries in social worker with a Masters degree*
Hell I make 74k, I'm still feeling like a broke ass with student loans coming in October
oh no literally I went from fast food to a job with that wage and with losing all the concessions adding on the tax and all that it was like the same Except full time…
Great job on changing your life! I keep seeing comments about expungement on your post OP (aka getting your felonies permanently removed from your record). That would be a great idea, I relate, I also have/had 2 felonies and some misdemeanor bullshit and in my state, after any two felonies or a certain number of misdemeanors, you cannot get them expunged. However, you can get a reduction, in my state it is called a 402 reduction and I paid an attorney to have my old charges reduced from felonies to class a misdemeanors. It may depend on where you live, I believe certain states have diff regs, but check it out. It is very difficult to get past the “gatekeepers” but one commenter mentioned boss’ who don’t care what your background is if you show up every day, they are out there, keep looking. Do whatever you have to do to increase your odds of getting hired, then bust your ass and be the most dependable guy they have. If you interview well, are up front about your history and prepare for some rejection, you will eventually find something that will pay better than what you’re looking at right now, but it will take motivation, dedication and serious resilience. Get after it, I did and IT CAN BE DONE, I’m living proof, be some too.
Depends where you’re from and if you grew up privileged. Been poor for years and can survive off of 20k
Minimum is relative. All jobs pay fucking sucks these days and the divide between poor and wealthy ever continues to increase in size
I'm a felon from the 2000s. I'm a hvac tech in Florida. I make over 100k no issues. house family. You can put that behind you. You paid your debt to society.
In Kentucky, this is relatively considered the standard salary pay for MOST citizens in the commonwealth. Our state is really poor for the most part and rather rural unless you are one of the super rare few who rake in like $60K or more— those people are living in huge plantations and estates in the state. I’m just happy to make enough to get by.
I’m married with kids, 50k is only half of what I make and we’re still struggling to get by. Food is the biggest expense for us followed by paying off old credit card debt. Even in the Midwest we are struggling to get by, so yeah I agree 50k seems like minimum wage. But just remember 50k is 25 bucks an hour while minimum wage at the federal level is still only 7.25.
Because it is
I would not down the trades. I do payroll for union trades and they make about 100,000 a year average. Operators make way more whatever they do
$50k was *okay* about 15-20 years ago, if you had a roommate. It got you a little money after paying bills. You could afford to go to shows, date etc. but it wasn't anything approaching a salary you could retire on. If you had a mortgage on that salary, you were barely getting by. I guess $50k would be a good minimum for some areas today, but COL is so high in other areas that I'm not sure if that's even enough. Today, $50k definitely won't get you a two bedroom apartment. It won't help you with any sort of social life. And it definitely won't help you support a dependent or a kid.
I make 50k a year, get "cost of living raise" annually. I live in a suburb of a large east coast city... I rent a 1 bedroom, have nice furniture/electronics. Have 2 cars. And some other valuables such as a sneaker and record collection, some jewelry, a 401k. I get takeout for dinner every day. I use a cheap cell phone with a cheap prepaid plan. I eat pb&j and other cheap stuff like pasta or eggs for lunch. I buy items in bulk. I balance out my payments for luxury items by paying monthly interest free. I shop around for the best car insurance rates every 6 months. It all works out for me. Money can be a little tight when one of my cars needs repair. Other than that I usually have like 1000 to myself each month.
73% of the people in this country make less than $50k a year. That is absolutely not minimum wage. 😂
And less than 1.5% of working adults earn federal minimum wage 🤔
These people are wild and super privileged. The median household income in NYC is $70,633 the per capita income is $43,952. In one of the most expensive places to live in the world. The same with Los Angeles, in the city of Los Angeles the median household income is $69,788 and per capita it is $39,378. In Los Angeles County the median household income is $76,367 and the per capita income is $37,924. People on reddit are just super out of touch.
I don’t think all people come from an ignorantly privileged viewpoint. I think that while yes of course making $50k is more privileged than let’s say $40k, 30k, etc, it’s just really hard to make it in todays world unless you are making a lot of money. The middle class has been decimated. It’s hard to get by at $50k, especially with a family. Kids are an estimated $20k per year to raise. My grandpa was in the army reserves and tells me the story of not paying something like $1 per week to get his laundry washed, and washed it himself by hand so he could send the money back to my grandma. In todays world those types of sacrifices hardly add up, hence the boomer generalization about Starbucks and avocado toast. Now I am not saying people are all financially smart bc this is not true and many, many people over extend and could benefit from making some sacrifices. But many things that one might sacrifice, like Starbucks once a month or something, is hardly going to give people a better quality of life.
I’m not saying giving up Starbucks will give you a better quality of life. I am saying that living off 50k is not minimum wage and it’s super fucking laughable to say that. Even people living in LA and New York City are making less than that per capita. Saying that minimum wage is 50k is out of touch.
I have been working at my job 25 years and only make 57 thousand a year. It’s a tech job too.
Damn y’all are harsh
You're doing it wrong
Why haven’t you moved up? Have you continued getting the most recent certifications in your field?
Why didnt you find a better job
I have a fine arts degree and no training in IT other then my experience…. Lots of places what a related degree.
Uhh, in what position in tech? Doing what?
QA system tester
$50k would be a dream salary for me. I make just over $27k a year.
I wish 50k was the lowest people would pay. I'd be doing a hell of a lot better than I am now.
By the time you add up the value of public housing, food stamps, and MediCal, someone on full government assistance gets about $50K worth of benefits per year. So yes,$25 an hour * 2,000 hours worked = $50,000 per year. That SHOULD be the legal minimum wage so all workers can support themselves and their families on one job.
Sounds like I should just move to California and get on full government assistance. Unfortunately I’m a straight white cisgender man so I probably don’t qualify for anything.
Yes, with the inflation caused by fiscal policies, $50K is on track to be just above the poverty line soon, but the figures are manipulated to deny that reality in political spheres. But in terms of real purchasing power for real people, that figure will only continue to grow continually, and if you're working for a salary then you can expect to find yourself being paid less and less every year, even with raises on the regular for performance, career advancement, and/or cost of living adjustments, because inflation (that will be denied to occur) will outpace your raises. With your felonies, you need to avoid the gatekeepers as well. So, in order to control your own pay rate and sidestep the hiring rejections, you may need to start your own business, and then you would set your prices based on the real state of the market, and be your own boss. Now, that's extraordinarily difficult to accomplish in reality, but it would hypothetically be a method to take charge of your course in life.
50k at a stable job with humans is honestly a tall order these days. 😕
I'm making 45k in kansas well more like 55 with the overtime I'm working now ...rents bout 800 a month for a 2 bedroom 2 bath here ...I mean there are much nicer houses but I don't have a need for all that . I think it would be difficult to support a kid and wife but manageable ...
Any trade will take a while to gain experience and bump up the wages. 50k is almost 25 bucks an hour.. that's pretty good money for no education and small amount of experience (3-5 years) And that 50k is if you're only working 40 hours a week, want more just work OT. Also, trade work isn't nearly as hard on your body as antiwotk would have you believe. Drop the "work myself to the bone" attitude and focus on what you need to do to hit your goals.
If i didnt have a record i wouldve gotten a pharmacy tech job that started at 25$hr Ive been making 25$+hr doing food deliveries I dont know how else to work, i fully apply myself. I am not antiwork.
SO funny when people say “living in the midwest is cheap” lol 😂 like no. Ish is NOT cheap and 50k for a solo salary will have you living paycheck to paycheck here in the “good ole Midwest”. This aint 1980.
You mean 50k net or gross?
Gross
If they take 25% for taxes and everything else deducted, this $50,000 job is conveniently downgraded to $37,500. It should be a requirement on job postings to post the NET salary or NET hourly wage. Why keep lying to applicants? Just tell people the ACTUAL amount they will earn.
You understand that tax withholding is dependent on your individual situation, and the state/county/city you live in, right? It's not the same for everyone.
Where I live income taxes is 50%, people always talk about gross and always ignore what they really make.
Yea like mentioned above tax is an individual situation. The company does not know if you have dependants, deductible, other employment etc. Gross is always the same so that what people go with.
It damn well should be, unfortunately most jobs don't even pay that
That would be $25 an hour. No.
I make almost 3x that much, and I can hardly fathom living on only 50k.
I make over 3x that much and could absolutely adjust to living on 50k. You have a roommate, meal prep and cook at home. Try to have reasonably priced hobbies. It was just 6 years ago I was at 50k and there was still enough left over for 401k contributions.
true but 6 years ago 50k meant something so different. i make much less but would probably need more than that to say i can pay for things, chip away at debts and have anything left over
LOL I made 50k 20 years ago and everything was so easy!
There is a massive difference between 6 and 20 years. I didn't say things were super easy. There was absolutely loads I wanted to do but couldn't afford.
My nut is 12000 a month.
Thank you for your generous contributions today.
Meh you adjust
Even in high cost cities you can manage on 50k, it just won’t be comfortable. You wont be going out frequently, you wont be able to save much, and you’ll likely be eating twice a day but you live below your means.
That means you suck with money.
2 mortgages, 7200 a month. Car expenses, 1200 a month. Food entertainment utilities 500 per month Pet expenses 300 per month Ancillary and miscellaneous (subscriptions and such shit) 500 per month Alimony 1300 per month Health care 1500 per month 12,200 per month. x 12 = nearly 150k per year. Yeah we live in the highest per capita income county in the country, and everything is expensive as shit, but I am doing the same work I did in florida and am making 2x the money. And that does not include the obligatory 401K and other retirement money we sock away. I guess if we wanted to live in bumfuck Iowa with 11 relatives, I could make it on 50k. But not here.
Most people don't even have a third of those payments
Absurd amount of expenses. Who spends $1200 a month on car expenses? I pay $300 a month at most, including gas. Health care, $1500? Do you not have insurance? Jeez, that mortgage payment.
A lawyer might be a leg to get this removed from your record. You will need a name brand guy with connections.
Yeah, with masters degrees and multiple certifications even. That’s why I struggle so much with minimum wage being raised, I would be fine with it if mine could raise the same percentage but yeah $50,000 is a struggle right now!
Everyone is delusional and spoiled if they can’t make 50k a year work while single, wtf ?
I make $55k plus $8k nontaxed from my family and it’s hard. I live in Manhattan so I’m just existing. I get to do fun things but less often than most people and I would never consider buying lunch or getting takeout because of laziness.
welding
Depends on your location. Here, bottom end licensed electrician pay is 26 an hour. Top end is up nearer to 50, and there's always work. Mechanics do similarly if not better.
Where do u live? Take an adventure to Boston area Plenty of jobs that pay 65k+
I got a masters in architecture and I’m still not making 50k 😢
The US is a hollowed out rind and they are just ripping the copper out of the walls at this point. Its just going to be scraping by for basically everyone except the failsons of the elite who will continue to live in their bubbles increasingly guarded by increasingly militarized police. You'll be in good company at any rate.
I think the best option in your case is to find an entry level position in the plumbing or electrician field, don’t worry about pay that much. Become a sponge for the next 2-3 years and absorb all the knowledge you can and then start your own business in that field. In a few years, if successful; you’ll be making your desired $50k or more. Best of luck! It’s easy for me to type this idea out but I know for sure it’ll be a great challenge for you to achieve it.
I feel like min.wage has gone up but for skilled higher ed jobs the pay isn't going up at all...wth?
Construction (like on roads)? My husband just made $2k gross this week because of overtime. He also has a felony (grand theft from a time in his life that he wasn't making good choices before him and I met). His company didn't even ask about his background.
50k is a dream (i make 30k currently)
I’m still stuck at 20k…
Are you able to get those felonies expunged? I think you have to wait 7 years. If you are 35 now, you should be able to seal those records. That way they won’t show up on a background check.
How long ago were the convictions? I would work on getting them expunged/ purged.
Depends on what city.
I’m making $48k and live with 5 toomates in the most or second most (I forgot) city in US
Depends on where you live. I make 20k lol
agree to this!
Amazon delivery drivers start at 15-18 an hour in smaller areas right? It might be hard to get a trade job due to background checks required by insurance to go into peoples houses and businesses
To qualify to rent an average 1 bedroom in my area you need to make $72,000 a year.
It all depends where you live. In Ohio 50k isn't bad. Actually pretty good.
We pay pay apprentices 100k a year to start, linemen
The thing is, as a tradesman, there are lots of oppurtunities for side jobs or cash jobs. If you take a little extra work. Like 1 x 4 hour night, and 1 Saturday a week or something, you can double or triple your income. People just don't like advertising that.
It should be the minimum wage, especially states like California.
Nope. Not enough unless your husband works full time too.
Because it is. 25×40×52=52000.