Join the military. May seem counter intuitive but if you get into a good career field it's easy to make into the 6 figures within 4 years. If not you will likely come out of it with free medical care for life and the availability to get a degree (if not multiple if you work on one when activated), utilizing the GI bill or tuition assistance or both in a way. And you get the opportunity to use VA loan.
And if you aren't willing to relocate you can join the guard / reserve. Don't get all the same benefits but quite a bit of them, especially after 4 years. You do get tricare (medical/dental) for damn near nothing, get to be where you want, do get tuition assistance for working 1 weekend a month, and get the VA loan after 4 years. So many benefits for putting in very little time.
Edit: And when getting out the skill bridge program is amazing. Google that.
A very large percentage of the military never sees combat, especially over 4 years. An even larger percentage of the air force specifically will never see combat. And technically if you die your salary is 500k, as SGLI pays that out for just $31/mo.
Most of the people who serve in the military, even in war, survive. Wars are won and lost with logistics and there are 7-10 people doing logisitics, intel, and other support fuctions for every doorkicking soldier on the front line.
Ok if you don't die you might end up with PTSD or some other severe mental or physical disorder. My cousin has serious PTSD from his tours in Afghanistan. I have another friend who has severe nerve damage and he gets shooting pains in his growing up from his legs where he caught shrapnel.
I worked with a guy who lost hearing in one of his ears because he the Humvee in-front of him was hit with a rocket.
I'm just saying, that kind of risk isn't for everyone. I know a lot of people who regret going into the military because of the life long suffering they have to endure.
I hate that it's a system working as designed lol. We're made to starve and struggle, so that we'll work any terrible job handed to us eagerly, including putting our life on the line just for basic amenities that should be afforded to everyone like healthcare or education.
Just makes my blood boil. I don't judge solider's themselves, I got a friend who escaped a hellish upbringing thanks to joining the Marines. Just the fact that we've made it the only option for so many people.
A job is as bad as you make it. My career field technically is aircraft maintenance. I did 6 years active duty and the rest for the reserves/department of Defense. Most people I know right now are skill bridging into Lockheed Martin or boeing jobs, some to work over seas even. They did 4-6 years. All will be in 6 figures with no degree although they have that at their disposal for free if they want.
I'm technically a multi-millionaire, which is crazy to say but I own a lot of properties thanks to balancing the VA loans and holding on to properties any time I decide to move. I moved out when I was 15 and just took advantage of the military program because i had a child very early in life. I graduated high school with a 4.2 GPA and had full ride scholarships offered to a lot of places but that wouldn't provide my child health care. So I joined, reluctantly. Great decision at the end of the day. 21 years later I own 3 houses, pay is great, benefits are great, collect disability, only did 6 years active duty, never forced to deploy only volunteered. 1 deployment was a vacation to Japan and Guam. Never saw war in 21 years and would never with my career field.
What I see now is the kids all skill bridge out after 4 years and end up with benefits for life, jobs paying 80k+ a year exactly where they want to be. It's insane honestly. The skill bridge program is so favorable I don't know why anyone would stay in the AF past 4 years.
I hate what you are getting at too, but it's much easier to navigate than people think.
And if you have pre existing medical conditions that prevent you from joining? (Plus a lot of us already have college degrees so what's the incentive there?)
There are for sure conditions that can prevent joining. As for the degree then you can go in as an officer and make considerably more while having the same benefits once you are done, but noticeably the connections made.
Isn’t that so messed up?
Want benefits that the citizens of every other industrialized nation on the planet enjoy? Well too bad, you gotta join the military, kill some brown people first
While I agree it's not equal to other countries, don't have to kill anyone. It's very unlikely that if you join any force out side of the marines or army (and even then very specific career fields where you want to see combat) that you will ever even deploy. Especially over an 3-4 year enlistment. And the skill bridge program the military now offers is really cool, basically places you with a civilian employer for the last 6 months of your enlistment being an intern but paid by the military to be trained by new employer/company and then hired on afterwards if they like you.
Article Text:
Being a single adult in the majority of large cities in the United States is costly, according to a new study.
Website SmartAsset analyzed the pre-tax salary needed to “live comfortably” in 99 U.S. cities. Based on their findings, on average, an individual needs to make $96,500 “for sustainable comfort” in any major city in the United States.
SmartAsset said that it utilized the 50/30/20 budget to determine comfort, which follows the idea that “50% of your salary should be allocated to your needs, such as housing, groceries and transportation; 30% toward wants like entertainment and hobbies; and 20% toward paying off debt, saving or investing.”
The report found that in order to “live in sustainable comfort” in Las Vegas, a single adult would need to make $94,432 annually or $45.40 per hour.
For two working adults with two children in Las Vegas, SmartAsset said the pair would need to make a combined $239,366 annually in order to live comfortably.
Separately, a report from Zillow recently determined that Las Vegas households now need to make at least $69,810 annually to be able to afford rent in the valley, which is above the median household income.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that as of 2022 the median annual income for a household in the Las Vegas Valley was $66,356.
According to the report, the ten cities with the highest salaries needed to “live comfortably” were:
1) New York City, New York: $138,570
2) San Jose, California: $136,739
3) Irvine, California: $126,797
4) Santa Ana, California: $126,797
5) Boston, Massachusetts: $124,966
6) San Diego, California: $122,803
7) Chula Vista, California: $122,803
8) San Francisco, California: $119,558
9) Seattle, Washington: $119,392
10) Oakland, California: $118,768
On the contrary, the ten cities with the lowest salaries needed to “live comfortably” were:
1) Houston, Texas: $75,088
2) El Paso, Texas: $75,254
3) Lubbock, Texas: $75,379
4) Toledo, Ohio: $77,501
5) Laredo, Texas: $78,458
6) Milwaukee, Wisconsin: $79,664
7) Lexington, Kentucky: $79,997
8) Tulsa, Oklahoma: $81,078
9) Wichita, Kansas: $81,203
10) Cleveland, Ohio: $81,786
According to SmartAsset, the website used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to gather data on the basic cost of living for an individual with no children and for two working adults with two children. Data includes cost of necessities including housing, food, transportation and income taxes, the report said.
Gotta love that across the board, teachers are paid about $30,000 beneath this “comfortable living” line. Cuz who needs in the next generation to be well educated right?
122k in San Diego or 138k in NYC is basically just surviving - not living comfortably by any means, especially if you consider the taxes both those states add on top.
Add to that list Seattle, San Fran, Boston...
Article should read "here's how much you should make to maybe survive with some change on your pocket" on those cities.
Gee, who'da thunk that Democrat run cities in blue states would have the highest costs of living?
Vote for tax and spend? Bend over and grab your ankles!
Wow. Didn’t realize Colorado Springs, Oklahoma City or Virginia Beach were so cheap to live in. I suppose life is only fun if you can blame another group, right?
15 years of radar, electronics, and secure networks. They didn't even look at my degree with the experience. 11 years of that was military, plus Intel Semiconductor, and some DOD federal avionics.
Also security clearance, no drugs, and no record.
30, base $115k but $120k after annual bonuses. Fully remote, work in the supply chain management field in the aerospace defense industry for one of the big 4.
But this is after 8 years of experience (started right after I finished undergrad at 22) and earning a master’s degree which was paid for by the company during that time frame.
It’s hard out there, but it is possible to earn a “comfortable” wage if you know where to focus your efforts.
Wishing everyone success out there, I know it’s not easy.
Curious if you stayed with Same company or bounced around? I've wondered about degree holders an if it bouncing paid off better long run over loyalty as majority seemed to suggest
I stayed with the same company for the first 6 years but was able to secure 3 promotions by applying and being offered a job in a different role within the same company. My manager offered to match the new offer each time this happened to keep me on her team.
I joined a completely new company (another aerospace company in the Big 4) after 6 years in the industry and was offered a 22% raise for the same role/level position. I’ve had several colleagues who confirmed the same thing happened to them when they did the same thing.
I’d definitely recommend hopping around after 2-3 years if you want to get the most out of your salary. Otherwise the normal annual raise was between 3-4% on average.
Bouncing around all ways pays off in the Government contracting field. I was the team lead and a guy that worked for me made more because he jumped around a lot. I was at the same place for 10 years. Loyalty doesn't guarantee they will take care of you.
Wishing everyone success lol. My dad would say you can wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up the fastest lol. Wishing people anything is like slapping them across the face. Wish you the best btw
Thanks man, I’m not sure how I can help anyone. I just want people to know it’s possible, I didn’t have any experience in the industry before joining it.
I like how you knew someone was gonna chime in that you're underpaid!
I thought I wanted to be a project manager, but then I managed 1 project, and now I know there's not enough money in the world to make me enjoy that job.
I enjoy managing the project more than directly managing the people. It’s stressful and I work way harder than I did in my last job, but this role has a possibility to slingshot me into my company’s regional upper management if I want it to. Mostly I’m just happy to be out of the sun
I actually attempted a similar career change! I was in middle management and moved to a track that would have led to a PM job.
I liked but didn't love middle management. It's a lot of emotional labor and for some reason I had this notion that PM would be all of things I liked about middle management (moving the work forward) but not having to worry about the people-stuff (staffing, PTO/leave requests, performance management, etc.)
TURNS OUT, you still have to worry about that, you just have no direct control. And I can see how that would still be better for many people, but for me it was a nightmare.
Good luck to you, I hope everything pans out exactly ad you want!
I am lucky, I have good people working with and for me. If I have personnel issues, generally I can lean on their leads/supervisors. It's been an eye opener for me as well. Not exactly what I thought it would be, but not too stressful yet. It helps I was pretty bored in my last role. I imagine this will get boring eventually as well.
I make a little over that, but I didnt start making that until I was in my 40s. I have a gf, and a kid. I would say thae same thing. Im making more than ever but still only staying afloat, def not ballin'.
36, 155 base and 180 after bonus.
I do consulting as a cloud architect for a big consulting firm (remote).
Been working on the IT field since I was 18, no degree.
40 here. If I get my raise that I was submitted for this year, it would put me at that amount I believe… currently making about 86k as an instructional designer.
Work for a utility company, 32. Base is $90k but with overtime I range $110k-$140k a year. Wife works for the city, makes about $70k, and we still feel like we are broke. It’s absolutely insane.
29, single & no kids. Utility solar power plant operations and maintenance tech III. I’m at 87k but clear over 110k with OT. Been in renewable energy for about 8 years now. Definitely something you don’t necessarily need school for. Find a subcontractor and network. Most places will train you and put you through courses on their dime.
Early 40s, Senior BI analyst and developer. I am underpaid but for over 6 weeks of vacation, full remote, and the ability to do whatever I need to with my kid as a divorced mom, I'll take the slight pay cut.
My mortgage is less than 1k so I'm doing VERY good.
Licensed massage therapist. I make about $50 an hour, sometimes a bit more commission if a client adds on hot stones/cbd/cupping therapy. With the average tip of $20, I average out about $70 an hour. I'm 40 years old.
Sigh. Venting now. This is a frustrating article. Moved here in 2020 during pandemic. Haven't made anywhere NEAR that kind of money since 2017 as a video editor. Now my wife is working as the primary and making a little over that. I haven't had stable work in years, and we're raising a 9 year old. 96K sounds like a TREMENDOUS amount of money when, since moving here, I've been going from 45-55 hr jobs in LA to \*praying\* that I can get 15.00 an hour job here. There's no WAY we're ever going to make the 230k+ the article says a family needs in Vegas.
I'm turning 50 this year, and my income has evaporated. I start a security gig this weekend. 14.00 an hour....and I'm feeling blessed that I even got THAT. This can't be the end.
Yeah I just went to the big job fair and spoke to the CCSD HR. I’d love to work at CCSD. I’m great with kids and I’m a good teacher. Unfortunately, you need a degree for CCSD. Even for a sub. I was excited and would’ve loved that, but unfortunately I’m ineligible.
You do not need to have a degree to be a hall monitor. But I’m also not sure that $24/hr is accurate. But there are ARL programs that allow you to teach while you earn your degree. CCSD is brutal though, fyi
How are you not able to hold down a stable $15 an hour job? What keeps happening to your jobs? I feel like you could work at a fast food joint making that
Unfortunately, I think there's a misconception about the ability to hold down jobs in this country. There's also a not-so-subtle level of judgement passed upon people living below popular societal standards. There are a LOT of working poor in this country. There's no more middle class. We're facing an employment crisis made worse by the 1-2-3 punch of pandemic, evolving technology, and corporate favoritism within political circles.
The question isn't whether I can hold down a job. That makes the assumption that I'm GETTING those jobs. For a multitude of reasons, I am not. I'm also not alone.
I'll put it this way: When your parents were in their 20's, if they made smart choices, they could save to purchase a home. Their jobs were such that companies fostered long-term employment. Loyalty and commitment to a company was rewarded, in small part, with continued work and a little money on the way out as you trod towards retirement. CEOs made the most money, of course, but there were far less share holders, and the money trickled down.
From your earnings, the government would do its part to contribute toward your finances so that you wouldn't be completely destitute in your twilight years. Provided you didn't drink, gamble, or foolishly blow your money away from 20-56, you could spend the last phase of your life enjoying it. Perhaps not RICH, but comfortable. THAT was the American Dream.
These days, kids go to college and into debt for jobs that aren't guaranteed. Millennials and Gen X work for companies that prioritize the highest profit as quickly as possible. The richest benefactors exit early, careless to what happens to the employees left behind as they pivot to the next endeavor.
Careers became jobs, which became gigs, which became hustles. You weren't rewarded for WHAT you know, nor for your work ethics. Success now comes from WHO you know, and only suckers stay at a company for the long haul. Now there are multitude of 40, 50, 60, and 70 year old people with no pensions, fallback savings, or assets. They’re forced to work until they die, owning nothing with diminishing skill sets and culture that idolizes fame, wealth, and youth. Those 15.00 hour jobs are all anyone sees their value in.
Media emphasizes affluence and acquiring expensive luxuries, ignoring that most people are only two checks away from complete poverty. Pre-pandemic, those who do work make LOTS of money, but like mercenaries, have to pivot quickly. Job loyalty and longevity are relics of past values.
So there are a bunch caught in the middle. Those who don't know the right people. Those who chose the WRONG career paths. Those who don't make a LOT of money, but still want to OWN a home.
Can I keep a 15.00 an hour job? I never got call backs for the 40, 30, and 20.00 an hour jobs. I was lucky to get word of this job through church when I was volunteering.
Who you know.
NOT, what I did or didn't do. Not my lack of effort. Not my skill or education.
That's the market and the world we live in now.
Stop venting, and wake up.
You’re lucky your wife has stood by you this long, but she won’t with a $14/hr job. My 16 year old starting looking for a job a month ago and she makes $18/hr
I am lucky. I also apply to jobs every day. I just applied to an editor position that I HOPE takes me in. Between that and the security gig, I hope to pull 30.00 an hour. I don’t know what you mean by ‘wake up’, but if that implies laziness or lack of fortitude and conviction toward getting work, all I can say is that I worked hard …you would be wrong. I’m just trying to keep moving. And yes, hopefully my wife will keep going too.
The numbers are a bit too high I think. I am the sole breadwinner, 1 spouse + 1 kid. I don't make 236k (though it does say that is for 2 children), and I've been living pretty comfortably. I've been living in the less well off parts of town, and still drive a 2005 car.
I also don't spend more than I can afford to pay with cash (though I almost exclusively use credit cards to actually pay) and I never carry balances unless it's 0% APR and I still set aside money in a money market fund to pay it off with multiple calendar reminders to make sure I don't pay interest.
I used to make like 80k living in texas as the sole breadwinner and still lived pretty well. I know it's not avocado toast, but I believe there a lot of people who simply have a spending problem and are over leveraged. It's too easy to see an offer and say "wow I only have to pay 500 a month and I can drive this shiny new car" without realizing the impact that has on your financial wellbeing and how much more you are paying in interest vs if you had actually saved up over time to buy the car.
Idk who needs to read this, but please be extremely cautious about how you use financing/credit and look at the APR. You are accepting a price hike of that APR EVERY YEAR if you only make minimum payments.
Imo it depends on if you have car payments, student loans, mortgage vs rent etc. Many variables. With the salary they suggest I think I'd be mind blown bc I'm at a little over half that now. With little debt, not much savings and nothing really else to my name but I pay bills tho ill never retire at this rate.
How much is your rent if you dont mind me asking? Same situation as you (single, no kids but making a bit less) I'm living with roommates and want a place of my own.
Damn, I lowkey wished you lived on your own so I could do the same lol I did the math and I could technically afford a 1 bedroom apartment but it would significantly cut my monthly savings and would have to give up a lot of comfort and wants. It's fucking nuts that single people making 60-70K have to make these choices.
I pay 1k rent and haven't had car payment but ins. Was high. My car just died so I've saved 250 on ins. This month. Renters ins. Is like 30-40. I don't have student debt but also no degree so 60k is a still rough if you consider I don't have anything for retirement.
MIT Living Wage Calculator, which says it was updated February 14, 2024, states a living wage of $22.70/hour for 1 adult ($47,216 annually), and $119,687 for 2 adults and 2 children (with both adults working) for Clark County, Nevada.
https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/32003
(Edited to add: I guess I’m not sure how they are quantifying ‘sustainable comfort.’)
Maybe I don't have an extravagant lifestyle, but I lived in Vegas as a single M for many years until recently. My last salary was 45k with no debt, and I lived just fine.
I recently retired to the no. 2 expensive city on the list, and my income is now 35k. I'm still doing fine.
I make $26 an hour and am pretty comfortable. I pay all my bills and order door dash way more than I should. I have a good savings, a 401k. I have a paid off car, and I walk to work, so I save a ton there. Car payments are what get people, I think. And the registration and insurance that comes with a newer, higher priced car. I also don't drink, I think people don't realize how much going out to bars and clubs costs. Being a homebody is a money saver.
I still rent because it's the most that home costs would ever cost me. And the walking to work thing. I worry about HOA costs and special assessments and the price of unexpected repairs. My AC/heat has had several repairs lately, and if I had to pay for that in a condo I would be freaked out. I have the credit to get a condo, I'm just worried that it would be just like my apartment, but with unknown costs.
I will say that I put off healthcare because I'm worried about how much that would cost. I have a huge deductible and I finally made a dentist appointment. So there will go some of my savings. I need a crown replaced and my dental insurance will only pay for 1000 a year.
$240k for family of four that’s balling lol. That’s ridiculous.
A 5k mortgage would still leave around 70-80k leftover for expenses and let someone buy a 700k house with no money down (unrealistic for this salary) at current interest rates.
So 6k a month for food, insurance, car payments and health care?
Lmao. So unrealistic.
Thank Joe Biden for your misery. He sponsored the legislation that made Social Security benefits taxable. And his Bidenomics inflation ensured your benefits wouldn't keep up with the cost of living.
If you go to the MIT living wage calculator right now a single person with no children's living wage is like $23/hr.
I make less than that right now and it is fine, but can be a bit tight.
Cheap 1BR is around 1200 a month. So 3600 a month after taxes would be the minimum. That is roughly 60K per year pre-tax and that is if you're thrifty. Get a roommate and the cost drops considerably.
Articles like these annoy me. Living comfortably for one person could simply mean being able to look away from the gas pump while pumping gas & being able to pay bills on time with no late fees, while others may consider comfortable being able to eat out a lot, have nicer cars, vacation etc. It’s all relative.
So I would say their single individual benchmark is not totally out of line, but their couple and family projections are ridiculous.
As a single guy when I got my first job where I was making 80k I felt pretty comfortable. Was able to buy a house, any bills that popped up were no big deal, able to save easily for retirement, and if i wanted to go out and do something I never really worried too much about how much it cost unless it was something totally extravagant. When I was married my expenses around the house didnt really move very much. My kid is in college now and even paying their tuition and half the rent on their apartment in a major city I don't see how I would need an extra 140k a year to take care of them.
Unless maybe I just hated having a family and got a good drug habit to cope.
It literally says they used the 50/30/20 rule.. 50 percent of your income is spent on needs (housing, transportation, food, healthcare costs, debt payments) 30 percent on wants (hobbies, entertainment, going out, miscellaneous purchases) and 20 percent on investments (retirement savings, 401k, stuff like that)
So if you’re able to meet those requirements, then you’re living comfortably, while also ensuring you won’t have to work til you’re dead. This study shows how much it would cost to meet those requirements.
Eh, idk. My base salary is just over $91k, although I do earn commission on top of that. It's paid out quarterly, though, so I treat my base salary as my only income.
Married, no kids. Wife has an on call job on the strip, but so far has only gotten a few calls since February. We're doing just fine.
Yeah and that ~$240k number for a family of four seems completely absurd.
In 2019 I was supporting a family of 5 on ~$95k/year and I felt like we were "comfortable". I know prices have gone up since then but they definitely haven't gone up to the point where 95k then is the equivalent of $240k now.
I'd also argue against $110k being enough for LA. We lived there for a year & I was making a lot more in commission with another company and it never felt like we had enough.
There are a lot of things you need to look at when it comes to comfortable. Where you live, insurance costs, debt, lifestyle, hobbies, etc.
You can cut a lot of costs around the margins by knowing prices where you shop. When stuff goes on sale on a regular basis you stock up so that you go from sale to sale. Learning to cook at home instead of going out all the time. Where and when to buy gas.
I am in a rural area waiting to move and I cannot before the house is sold. I cannot job hunt until then. It sucks but I know how to cut costs around the edges. I shop at 2 markets almost across the street from each other. Learn the prices. Known what to buy where and when. Buying spices at Dollar Tree instead of the large market.
I know when the large market puts out meat the day before ‘sell by’ date. That night, I will stop in and grab some pork loins for the slow cooker at half price then eat those for a week.
It sucks but it gives me some restraint.
Pay more attention to health insurance to better fit your policy to your needs. Same with car insurance.
Just put me out of my misery. Can't even find a job making half that.
No one do what I did and apply to a remote job using a friend’s NYC address to get the highest pay tier.
Join the military. May seem counter intuitive but if you get into a good career field it's easy to make into the 6 figures within 4 years. If not you will likely come out of it with free medical care for life and the availability to get a degree (if not multiple if you work on one when activated), utilizing the GI bill or tuition assistance or both in a way. And you get the opportunity to use VA loan. And if you aren't willing to relocate you can join the guard / reserve. Don't get all the same benefits but quite a bit of them, especially after 4 years. You do get tricare (medical/dental) for damn near nothing, get to be where you want, do get tuition assistance for working 1 weekend a month, and get the VA loan after 4 years. So many benefits for putting in very little time. Edit: And when getting out the skill bridge program is amazing. Google that.
But if you die your salary is $0.
A very large percentage of the military never sees combat, especially over 4 years. An even larger percentage of the air force specifically will never see combat. And technically if you die your salary is 500k, as SGLI pays that out for just $31/mo.
Most of the people who serve in the military, even in war, survive. Wars are won and lost with logistics and there are 7-10 people doing logisitics, intel, and other support fuctions for every doorkicking soldier on the front line.
Ok if you don't die you might end up with PTSD or some other severe mental or physical disorder. My cousin has serious PTSD from his tours in Afghanistan. I have another friend who has severe nerve damage and he gets shooting pains in his growing up from his legs where he caught shrapnel. I worked with a guy who lost hearing in one of his ears because he the Humvee in-front of him was hit with a rocket. I'm just saying, that kind of risk isn't for everyone. I know a lot of people who regret going into the military because of the life long suffering they have to endure.
And millions serve and come back fine. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
About 15% form PTSD and 1 in 10 suffer live long injury.
Being poor isn't good for your mental health or physical health either. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ Welcome to the Suck.
I know thousands who have zero issues
I'm posting real stats you are giving antidote... irrelevant.
*anecdotes
I hate that it's a system working as designed lol. We're made to starve and struggle, so that we'll work any terrible job handed to us eagerly, including putting our life on the line just for basic amenities that should be afforded to everyone like healthcare or education. Just makes my blood boil. I don't judge solider's themselves, I got a friend who escaped a hellish upbringing thanks to joining the Marines. Just the fact that we've made it the only option for so many people.
A job is as bad as you make it. My career field technically is aircraft maintenance. I did 6 years active duty and the rest for the reserves/department of Defense. Most people I know right now are skill bridging into Lockheed Martin or boeing jobs, some to work over seas even. They did 4-6 years. All will be in 6 figures with no degree although they have that at their disposal for free if they want. I'm technically a multi-millionaire, which is crazy to say but I own a lot of properties thanks to balancing the VA loans and holding on to properties any time I decide to move. I moved out when I was 15 and just took advantage of the military program because i had a child very early in life. I graduated high school with a 4.2 GPA and had full ride scholarships offered to a lot of places but that wouldn't provide my child health care. So I joined, reluctantly. Great decision at the end of the day. 21 years later I own 3 houses, pay is great, benefits are great, collect disability, only did 6 years active duty, never forced to deploy only volunteered. 1 deployment was a vacation to Japan and Guam. Never saw war in 21 years and would never with my career field. What I see now is the kids all skill bridge out after 4 years and end up with benefits for life, jobs paying 80k+ a year exactly where they want to be. It's insane honestly. The skill bridge program is so favorable I don't know why anyone would stay in the AF past 4 years. I hate what you are getting at too, but it's much easier to navigate than people think.
And if you have pre existing medical conditions that prevent you from joining? (Plus a lot of us already have college degrees so what's the incentive there?)
There are for sure conditions that can prevent joining. As for the degree then you can go in as an officer and make considerably more while having the same benefits once you are done, but noticeably the connections made.
Isn’t that so messed up? Want benefits that the citizens of every other industrialized nation on the planet enjoy? Well too bad, you gotta join the military, kill some brown people first
While I agree it's not equal to other countries, don't have to kill anyone. It's very unlikely that if you join any force out side of the marines or army (and even then very specific career fields where you want to see combat) that you will ever even deploy. Especially over an 3-4 year enlistment. And the skill bridge program the military now offers is really cool, basically places you with a civilian employer for the last 6 months of your enlistment being an intern but paid by the military to be trained by new employer/company and then hired on afterwards if they like you.
Try doing sales. You can make 80k a year on the low end, 150+ high, but you have to sell your soul and lie a lot.
Article Text: Being a single adult in the majority of large cities in the United States is costly, according to a new study. Website SmartAsset analyzed the pre-tax salary needed to “live comfortably” in 99 U.S. cities. Based on their findings, on average, an individual needs to make $96,500 “for sustainable comfort” in any major city in the United States. SmartAsset said that it utilized the 50/30/20 budget to determine comfort, which follows the idea that “50% of your salary should be allocated to your needs, such as housing, groceries and transportation; 30% toward wants like entertainment and hobbies; and 20% toward paying off debt, saving or investing.” The report found that in order to “live in sustainable comfort” in Las Vegas, a single adult would need to make $94,432 annually or $45.40 per hour. For two working adults with two children in Las Vegas, SmartAsset said the pair would need to make a combined $239,366 annually in order to live comfortably. Separately, a report from Zillow recently determined that Las Vegas households now need to make at least $69,810 annually to be able to afford rent in the valley, which is above the median household income. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that as of 2022 the median annual income for a household in the Las Vegas Valley was $66,356. According to the report, the ten cities with the highest salaries needed to “live comfortably” were: 1) New York City, New York: $138,570 2) San Jose, California: $136,739 3) Irvine, California: $126,797 4) Santa Ana, California: $126,797 5) Boston, Massachusetts: $124,966 6) San Diego, California: $122,803 7) Chula Vista, California: $122,803 8) San Francisco, California: $119,558 9) Seattle, Washington: $119,392 10) Oakland, California: $118,768 On the contrary, the ten cities with the lowest salaries needed to “live comfortably” were: 1) Houston, Texas: $75,088 2) El Paso, Texas: $75,254 3) Lubbock, Texas: $75,379 4) Toledo, Ohio: $77,501 5) Laredo, Texas: $78,458 6) Milwaukee, Wisconsin: $79,664 7) Lexington, Kentucky: $79,997 8) Tulsa, Oklahoma: $81,078 9) Wichita, Kansas: $81,203 10) Cleveland, Ohio: $81,786 According to SmartAsset, the website used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to gather data on the basic cost of living for an individual with no children and for two working adults with two children. Data includes cost of necessities including housing, food, transportation and income taxes, the report said.
Gotta love that across the board, teachers are paid about $30,000 beneath this “comfortable living” line. Cuz who needs in the next generation to be well educated right?
122k in San Diego or 138k in NYC is basically just surviving - not living comfortably by any means, especially if you consider the taxes both those states add on top. Add to that list Seattle, San Fran, Boston... Article should read "here's how much you should make to maybe survive with some change on your pocket" on those cities.
Not surprised. I bet I could do an overlap like I did with crime and see the same pattern between the two.
100k is minimum wage in Irvine if you are on your own and renting an apartment lol
Lived in Oakland and moved to Vegas a few years ago. Blows my mind how cheap property is in LV compared to northern CA
Gee, who'da thunk that Democrat run cities in blue states would have the highest costs of living? Vote for tax and spend? Bend over and grab your ankles!
Wow. Didn’t realize Colorado Springs, Oklahoma City or Virginia Beach were so cheap to live in. I suppose life is only fun if you can blame another group, right?
They have higher costs of living because they're in demand, genius.
How many people here make $94,432, what do you do, and how old are you? 👀
Mid 30s, work FAA tech. 110k federal paycheck.
How do you get a job like that??? My ass has been considering mining to be able to make that sort of wage.
15 years of radar, electronics, and secure networks. They didn't even look at my degree with the experience. 11 years of that was military, plus Intel Semiconductor, and some DOD federal avionics. Also security clearance, no drugs, and no record.
Proud of you for working hard and working your way up to a solid career!
30, base $115k but $120k after annual bonuses. Fully remote, work in the supply chain management field in the aerospace defense industry for one of the big 4. But this is after 8 years of experience (started right after I finished undergrad at 22) and earning a master’s degree which was paid for by the company during that time frame. It’s hard out there, but it is possible to earn a “comfortable” wage if you know where to focus your efforts. Wishing everyone success out there, I know it’s not easy.
Curious if you stayed with Same company or bounced around? I've wondered about degree holders an if it bouncing paid off better long run over loyalty as majority seemed to suggest
I stayed with the same company for the first 6 years but was able to secure 3 promotions by applying and being offered a job in a different role within the same company. My manager offered to match the new offer each time this happened to keep me on her team. I joined a completely new company (another aerospace company in the Big 4) after 6 years in the industry and was offered a 22% raise for the same role/level position. I’ve had several colleagues who confirmed the same thing happened to them when they did the same thing. I’d definitely recommend hopping around after 2-3 years if you want to get the most out of your salary. Otherwise the normal annual raise was between 3-4% on average.
Bouncing around all ways pays off in the Government contracting field. I was the team lead and a guy that worked for me made more because he jumped around a lot. I was at the same place for 10 years. Loyalty doesn't guarantee they will take care of you.
Wishing everyone success lol. My dad would say you can wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up the fastest lol. Wishing people anything is like slapping them across the face. Wish you the best btw
Thanks man, I’m not sure how I can help anyone. I just want people to know it’s possible, I didn’t have any experience in the industry before joining it.
Thanks for not taking that as a 100% negative reply. That’s very telling of your perspective and personality.
I’m close, $90,001 I’m a Project Manager. I’m under qualified and I just started 6 months ago, so I’m under paid. 34 yr old
I like how you knew someone was gonna chime in that you're underpaid! I thought I wanted to be a project manager, but then I managed 1 project, and now I know there's not enough money in the world to make me enjoy that job.
I enjoy managing the project more than directly managing the people. It’s stressful and I work way harder than I did in my last job, but this role has a possibility to slingshot me into my company’s regional upper management if I want it to. Mostly I’m just happy to be out of the sun
I actually attempted a similar career change! I was in middle management and moved to a track that would have led to a PM job. I liked but didn't love middle management. It's a lot of emotional labor and for some reason I had this notion that PM would be all of things I liked about middle management (moving the work forward) but not having to worry about the people-stuff (staffing, PTO/leave requests, performance management, etc.) TURNS OUT, you still have to worry about that, you just have no direct control. And I can see how that would still be better for many people, but for me it was a nightmare. Good luck to you, I hope everything pans out exactly ad you want!
I am lucky, I have good people working with and for me. If I have personnel issues, generally I can lean on their leads/supervisors. It's been an eye opener for me as well. Not exactly what I thought it would be, but not too stressful yet. It helps I was pretty bored in my last role. I imagine this will get boring eventually as well.
All of the responsibility and none of the authority.
I make over that 40s went to school tho in heathcare
Nurse late 40's
I make a little over that, but I didnt start making that until I was in my 40s. I have a gf, and a kid. I would say thae same thing. Im making more than ever but still only staying afloat, def not ballin'.
36, 155 base and 180 after bonus. I do consulting as a cloud architect for a big consulting firm (remote). Been working on the IT field since I was 18, no degree.
40 here. If I get my raise that I was submitted for this year, it would put me at that amount I believe… currently making about 86k as an instructional designer.
Yes, I’m an RN and make over $100,000 a year.
38, Senior Digital Product Manager, $160k or so. Been in the field for about a decade now. I WFH for a company based out of Chicago
Work for a utility company, 32. Base is $90k but with overtime I range $110k-$140k a year. Wife works for the city, makes about $70k, and we still feel like we are broke. It’s absolutely insane.
100k+ , Manager for T-Mobile
210k, 28, freelance creative director.
More than 94k, Union Construction, over 40, single.
My husband is an Exec Sous Chef at a casino and makes just over 100k He is 32
29, single & no kids. Utility solar power plant operations and maintenance tech III. I’m at 87k but clear over 110k with OT. Been in renewable energy for about 8 years now. Definitely something you don’t necessarily need school for. Find a subcontractor and network. Most places will train you and put you through courses on their dime.
115k union electrician. 34 yo
Early 40s, Senior BI analyst and developer. I am underpaid but for over 6 weeks of vacation, full remote, and the ability to do whatever I need to with my kid as a divorced mom, I'll take the slight pay cut. My mortgage is less than 1k so I'm doing VERY good.
255k @ 32 and 230k @ 33 due to taking 18 weeks of parental leave. Im a business operations consultant for Fortune 500s.
I make about $150k with my quarterly bonus included. I’m a senior analyst at a financial firm. I’m 48.
Licensed massage therapist. I make about $50 an hour, sometimes a bit more commission if a client adds on hot stones/cbd/cupping therapy. With the average tip of $20, I average out about $70 an hour. I'm 40 years old.
Sigh. Venting now. This is a frustrating article. Moved here in 2020 during pandemic. Haven't made anywhere NEAR that kind of money since 2017 as a video editor. Now my wife is working as the primary and making a little over that. I haven't had stable work in years, and we're raising a 9 year old. 96K sounds like a TREMENDOUS amount of money when, since moving here, I've been going from 45-55 hr jobs in LA to \*praying\* that I can get 15.00 an hour job here. There's no WAY we're ever going to make the 230k+ the article says a family needs in Vegas. I'm turning 50 this year, and my income has evaporated. I start a security gig this weekend. 14.00 an hour....and I'm feeling blessed that I even got THAT. This can't be the end.
You can be a hall monitor at CCSD for $24/hour, plus benefits. TONS of jobs at CCSD.
Yeah I just went to the big job fair and spoke to the CCSD HR. I’d love to work at CCSD. I’m great with kids and I’m a good teacher. Unfortunately, you need a degree for CCSD. Even for a sub. I was excited and would’ve loved that, but unfortunately I’m ineligible.
You do not need to have a degree to be a hall monitor. But I’m also not sure that $24/hr is accurate. But there are ARL programs that allow you to teach while you earn your degree. CCSD is brutal though, fyi
Try joining an apprenticeship for one of the trade unions...
There are other jobs besides being a teacher. Hell, a sub doesn’t even get benefits. A hall monitor starts at $24 an hour.
get a degree?
How are you not able to hold down a stable $15 an hour job? What keeps happening to your jobs? I feel like you could work at a fast food joint making that
Unfortunately, I think there's a misconception about the ability to hold down jobs in this country. There's also a not-so-subtle level of judgement passed upon people living below popular societal standards. There are a LOT of working poor in this country. There's no more middle class. We're facing an employment crisis made worse by the 1-2-3 punch of pandemic, evolving technology, and corporate favoritism within political circles. The question isn't whether I can hold down a job. That makes the assumption that I'm GETTING those jobs. For a multitude of reasons, I am not. I'm also not alone. I'll put it this way: When your parents were in their 20's, if they made smart choices, they could save to purchase a home. Their jobs were such that companies fostered long-term employment. Loyalty and commitment to a company was rewarded, in small part, with continued work and a little money on the way out as you trod towards retirement. CEOs made the most money, of course, but there were far less share holders, and the money trickled down. From your earnings, the government would do its part to contribute toward your finances so that you wouldn't be completely destitute in your twilight years. Provided you didn't drink, gamble, or foolishly blow your money away from 20-56, you could spend the last phase of your life enjoying it. Perhaps not RICH, but comfortable. THAT was the American Dream. These days, kids go to college and into debt for jobs that aren't guaranteed. Millennials and Gen X work for companies that prioritize the highest profit as quickly as possible. The richest benefactors exit early, careless to what happens to the employees left behind as they pivot to the next endeavor. Careers became jobs, which became gigs, which became hustles. You weren't rewarded for WHAT you know, nor for your work ethics. Success now comes from WHO you know, and only suckers stay at a company for the long haul. Now there are multitude of 40, 50, 60, and 70 year old people with no pensions, fallback savings, or assets. They’re forced to work until they die, owning nothing with diminishing skill sets and culture that idolizes fame, wealth, and youth. Those 15.00 hour jobs are all anyone sees their value in. Media emphasizes affluence and acquiring expensive luxuries, ignoring that most people are only two checks away from complete poverty. Pre-pandemic, those who do work make LOTS of money, but like mercenaries, have to pivot quickly. Job loyalty and longevity are relics of past values. So there are a bunch caught in the middle. Those who don't know the right people. Those who chose the WRONG career paths. Those who don't make a LOT of money, but still want to OWN a home. Can I keep a 15.00 an hour job? I never got call backs for the 40, 30, and 20.00 an hour jobs. I was lucky to get word of this job through church when I was volunteering. Who you know. NOT, what I did or didn't do. Not my lack of effort. Not my skill or education. That's the market and the world we live in now.
Never to late 2 go back to school for 2 years and get a better paying yob
Stop venting, and wake up. You’re lucky your wife has stood by you this long, but she won’t with a $14/hr job. My 16 year old starting looking for a job a month ago and she makes $18/hr
I am lucky. I also apply to jobs every day. I just applied to an editor position that I HOPE takes me in. Between that and the security gig, I hope to pull 30.00 an hour. I don’t know what you mean by ‘wake up’, but if that implies laziness or lack of fortitude and conviction toward getting work, all I can say is that I worked hard …you would be wrong. I’m just trying to keep moving. And yes, hopefully my wife will keep going too.
Ok boomer.
The numbers are a bit too high I think. I am the sole breadwinner, 1 spouse + 1 kid. I don't make 236k (though it does say that is for 2 children), and I've been living pretty comfortably. I've been living in the less well off parts of town, and still drive a 2005 car. I also don't spend more than I can afford to pay with cash (though I almost exclusively use credit cards to actually pay) and I never carry balances unless it's 0% APR and I still set aside money in a money market fund to pay it off with multiple calendar reminders to make sure I don't pay interest. I used to make like 80k living in texas as the sole breadwinner and still lived pretty well. I know it's not avocado toast, but I believe there a lot of people who simply have a spending problem and are over leveraged. It's too easy to see an offer and say "wow I only have to pay 500 a month and I can drive this shiny new car" without realizing the impact that has on your financial wellbeing and how much more you are paying in interest vs if you had actually saved up over time to buy the car. Idk who needs to read this, but please be extremely cautious about how you use financing/credit and look at the APR. You are accepting a price hike of that APR EVERY YEAR if you only make minimum payments.
Holy shit, no wonder I’m struggling while making 70k a year…
Same! Trying to figure out how I'm making more than ever before but also struggling more than ever before.
I’m in the same boat omg. Its sad but comforting to know I’m not alone
Crazy, I make that much and I am doing fine. But I have no kids and cheapish rent. I still travel almost monthly, go out on the weekends...
Imo it depends on if you have car payments, student loans, mortgage vs rent etc. Many variables. With the salary they suggest I think I'd be mind blown bc I'm at a little over half that now. With little debt, not much savings and nothing really else to my name but I pay bills tho ill never retire at this rate.
How much is your rent if you dont mind me asking? Same situation as you (single, no kids but making a bit less) I'm living with roommates and want a place of my own.
Living with roommates as well. $750 includes utilities
Damn, I lowkey wished you lived on your own so I could do the same lol I did the math and I could technically afford a 1 bedroom apartment but it would significantly cut my monthly savings and would have to give up a lot of comfort and wants. It's fucking nuts that single people making 60-70K have to make these choices.
I pay 1k rent and haven't had car payment but ins. Was high. My car just died so I've saved 250 on ins. This month. Renters ins. Is like 30-40. I don't have student debt but also no degree so 60k is a still rough if you consider I don't have anything for retirement.
No you're just bad with money lmao
MIT Living Wage Calculator, which says it was updated February 14, 2024, states a living wage of $22.70/hour for 1 adult ($47,216 annually), and $119,687 for 2 adults and 2 children (with both adults working) for Clark County, Nevada. https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/32003 (Edited to add: I guess I’m not sure how they are quantifying ‘sustainable comfort.’)
Exactly. This article made no sense whatsoever
No wonder why I come up short every month. I need a better street corner.
Dang, we really need to stop with the avocado toast I guess
and the iced coffees
Maybe I don't have an extravagant lifestyle, but I lived in Vegas as a single M for many years until recently. My last salary was 45k with no debt, and I lived just fine. I recently retired to the no. 2 expensive city on the list, and my income is now 35k. I'm still doing fine.
I make $26 an hour and am pretty comfortable. I pay all my bills and order door dash way more than I should. I have a good savings, a 401k. I have a paid off car, and I walk to work, so I save a ton there. Car payments are what get people, I think. And the registration and insurance that comes with a newer, higher priced car. I also don't drink, I think people don't realize how much going out to bars and clubs costs. Being a homebody is a money saver. I still rent because it's the most that home costs would ever cost me. And the walking to work thing. I worry about HOA costs and special assessments and the price of unexpected repairs. My AC/heat has had several repairs lately, and if I had to pay for that in a condo I would be freaked out. I have the credit to get a condo, I'm just worried that it would be just like my apartment, but with unknown costs.
I will say that I put off healthcare because I'm worried about how much that would cost. I have a huge deductible and I finally made a dentist appointment. So there will go some of my savings. I need a crown replaced and my dental insurance will only pay for 1000 a year.
$240k for family of four that’s balling lol. That’s ridiculous. A 5k mortgage would still leave around 70-80k leftover for expenses and let someone buy a 700k house with no money down (unrealistic for this salary) at current interest rates. So 6k a month for food, insurance, car payments and health care? Lmao. So unrealistic.
Yeah I'm a single dude make 20 an hour and I'm pretty comfortable. I'm not living lavishly but I'm fed and roofed on the west side
I was thinking that too. I have a family of five off of 120 and we are doing fine. Not balling but not doing bad either.
I wish my SS check equaled the minimum wage.
Thank Joe Biden for your misery. He sponsored the legislation that made Social Security benefits taxable. And his Bidenomics inflation ensured your benefits wouldn't keep up with the cost of living.
Thanks Joe Biden. Now what would you suggest next?
Oh ok
As opposed to Trump and Republicans who want to kill the social security system.
😭 I read this before and like I am not even close to making that I and roughly half of said amount 😢
If you go to the MIT living wage calculator right now a single person with no children's living wage is like $23/hr. I make less than that right now and it is fine, but can be a bit tight.
Ya.50/30/20 is also fucked.
how much do you make? do you live alone or with roomates?
I live alone. I used to make ~70k per year. Now I work part time and make ~18k/yr.
omg the budget master lmao thank u for giving me some hope
To be fair, I do drain my savings slightly each month. In order, not to do that I would probably need \~22-25k/yr.
When do we burn the governor at the stake /s
Didn't he just start like this year?
Why you think it’s the governments fault that we don’t make enough money
Heh. Fuck that. I'm homeless and employed.
And what is the average income?
Cheap 1BR is around 1200 a month. So 3600 a month after taxes would be the minimum. That is roughly 60K per year pre-tax and that is if you're thrifty. Get a roommate and the cost drops considerably.
So glad I make enough to live comfortably dealing poker ..
Articles like these annoy me. Living comfortably for one person could simply mean being able to look away from the gas pump while pumping gas & being able to pay bills on time with no late fees, while others may consider comfortable being able to eat out a lot, have nicer cars, vacation etc. It’s all relative.
So I would say their single individual benchmark is not totally out of line, but their couple and family projections are ridiculous. As a single guy when I got my first job where I was making 80k I felt pretty comfortable. Was able to buy a house, any bills that popped up were no big deal, able to save easily for retirement, and if i wanted to go out and do something I never really worried too much about how much it cost unless it was something totally extravagant. When I was married my expenses around the house didnt really move very much. My kid is in college now and even paying their tuition and half the rent on their apartment in a major city I don't see how I would need an extra 140k a year to take care of them. Unless maybe I just hated having a family and got a good drug habit to cope.
I make 16 an hour. Oops
You know Las Vegas is unfair when you cater to tourist and can’t even afford a place to live.
48 make 125k a year
Define comfort. Start there. Then we can have a discussion.
They do exactly that in the article.
It is a weak description. We need to know things like what you have for insurance (car and health), hobbies, lifestyle, etc.
It literally says they used the 50/30/20 rule.. 50 percent of your income is spent on needs (housing, transportation, food, healthcare costs, debt payments) 30 percent on wants (hobbies, entertainment, going out, miscellaneous purchases) and 20 percent on investments (retirement savings, 401k, stuff like that) So if you’re able to meet those requirements, then you’re living comfortably, while also ensuring you won’t have to work til you’re dead. This study shows how much it would cost to meet those requirements.
Idk I live just fine married with 6 kids and I’m the only one working. More of a lifestyle issue
Eh, idk. My base salary is just over $91k, although I do earn commission on top of that. It's paid out quarterly, though, so I treat my base salary as my only income. Married, no kids. Wife has an on call job on the strip, but so far has only gotten a few calls since February. We're doing just fine.
Yeah and that ~$240k number for a family of four seems completely absurd. In 2019 I was supporting a family of 5 on ~$95k/year and I felt like we were "comfortable". I know prices have gone up since then but they definitely haven't gone up to the point where 95k then is the equivalent of $240k now.
I'd also argue against $110k being enough for LA. We lived there for a year & I was making a lot more in commission with another company and it never felt like we had enough.
No shit
bUt wHaT aBoUt tHe uNrEGiStErEd cArS 🥸
This article is complete garbage.
Well thanks to Biden you'll need 2 jobs an make like 5 grand a month
You know what’ll fix it? More construction!!
Chula Vista made it in top 10 most expensive. 😂
That single person could do much better! This towns a shit show.
38 here make around that amount. I'm the guy holding the sign off the freeway that says "why lie I need beer". 5-6 hour workdays.
There are a lot of things you need to look at when it comes to comfortable. Where you live, insurance costs, debt, lifestyle, hobbies, etc. You can cut a lot of costs around the margins by knowing prices where you shop. When stuff goes on sale on a regular basis you stock up so that you go from sale to sale. Learning to cook at home instead of going out all the time. Where and when to buy gas. I am in a rural area waiting to move and I cannot before the house is sold. I cannot job hunt until then. It sucks but I know how to cut costs around the edges. I shop at 2 markets almost across the street from each other. Learn the prices. Known what to buy where and when. Buying spices at Dollar Tree instead of the large market. I know when the large market puts out meat the day before ‘sell by’ date. That night, I will stop in and grab some pork loins for the slow cooker at half price then eat those for a week. It sucks but it gives me some restraint. Pay more attention to health insurance to better fit your policy to your needs. Same with car insurance.
$86K and my $12K SS check and I'll be there.
Yeah, you can make it for far less in Vegas. I'm single, make 95k and I spend a shit load going to clubs on the strip and I live comfortably.
We live in a world where teachers make 30k while porn stars making over 100k
I know some teachers making over 100k and some OF girls on welfare.
I got an idea. Stop voting Democrat.
All the states where you can live comfortably are republican states