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How poor is the average American? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by Kushia@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I've been watching a few American TV shows and it blows my mind that they put up with such atrocious working terms and conditions.

One show was about a removal company where any damage at all, even not the workers fault, is taken out of their tips. There's no insurance from the multimillion dollar business. As they're not paid a living wage the guy on the show had examples of when he and his family went weeks with barely any income and this was considered normal?!

Another example was a cooking show where the prize was tickets to an NFL game. The lady who won explained that she'd be waiting in the car so her sons could experience their first live game, because she couldn't otherwise afford a ticket to go. They give tickets for football games away for free to people where I live for no reason at all..

Yet another example was where the workers got a $5k tip from their company and the reactions were as if this amount of money was even remotely life changing. It saddens me to think the average Americans life could be made so much better with such a relatively small amount of money and they don't unionize and demand far better. The company in question was on track to make a billion bloody dollars while their workers are on the poverty line and don't even have all their teeth?

It's not actually this bad and the average American lives a pretty good life like we're led to believe, right?

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[–] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 33 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Consider me as a data point. My salary is in the low six figures. I have a reasonable mortgage and car loan. I also live paycheck to paycheck and have trouble paying my bills every month. I am currently in default on several thousand dollars of medical debt, that I am trying to pay off gradually, but I'm not always keeping ahead of my new medical debt.

Part of my income goes to helping out some relatives and friends who are in much worse shape, but even without that, I would have trouble breaking even.

I am just barely short of being in the top 10% of US incomes. The income inequality in this country has left the vast majority of the population struggling. Many can no longer afford enough food or housing.

[–] Thevenin@beehaw.org 5 points 11 months ago

You're not alone there. America's fragile social safety nets and minimal workers' rights mean we're all one bad day away from being in your position.

Chemo can cost $50k, and FMLA exists (somehow) but only covers 3 months. A cancer diagnosis could easily wipe out six figures of savings.
Most employers require prompt attendance, so a car crash that leaves you dependent on America's crumbling public transit systems will likely lead to losing your job.
The GOP is trying to kill off Social Security, so if you ever want to retire, you might have to save twice as much as what's traditionally advised.
With climate change being what it is, losing your house to a hurricane or wildfire is a much bigger threat than it used to be.
Economic swings, downsizing, and "k-shaped recoveries" can make jobs vanish or become unsustainable without warning.

Even for the top 10%, saving for these contingencies typically precludes a wealthy lifestyle, particularly for younger people with fewer savings. There's now an entire demographic of (mostly millenial) Americans with traditionally high-paying jobs who still live at or below middle-class aspirations due to saving: HENRY, or High Earner, Not Rich Yet.

[–] soviettaters@lemm.ee 5 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I'm assuming you live in a place with an egregious cost of living, which is not the majority of America. My family has never made more than 70k in a good year, yet lives comfortably in a home bought 15 years ago in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

The vast majority of the population is not struggling. Too many are, but that doesn't mean they make up the majority.

[–] COASTER1921@lemmy.ml 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

The home bought 15 years ago definitley helps. With higher interest and pricing explosions in growing Metro areas like DFW, I'd expect the housing payment to be well over 3x if you were to buy now. DFW median home price alone is up 2.63x over the last 15yr alone before considering interest rates.

[–] soviettaters@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago

Certainly. The point is that it's mainly younger people and people transitioning between stages of their life who are suffering most from the cost of living crisis.

[–] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 months ago

I live in an urban area where the cost are slightly above average, but not by much.

Depending on whose statistics you accept, somewhere between 55% and 62% of the country are living paycheck to paycheck with little or no savings. That is a literal majority of Americans. It really is that bad and it's getting steadily worse. I was quite comfortable 20 years ago and reasonably so ten years ago. The dividing line passed me about five years back.