If it is just you earning 80K by yourself, you could practically live like a king in Texas off of this kind of salary. No matter where you live, 80K is considered to be a pretty good salary for most people. This puts you in the higher middle-class range of people who are earning no matter where you live in the US.
Your household size
Depending on the size of your family or household, an $80,000 salary may comfortably cover your living expenses. If other people in your household, such as children, depend on your income, consider how much it costs to pay for their living expenses in addition to your own.
If you are making it as a single individual and not as a household, this puts you in the top quarter of the country! It also gives you the disposable income and lifestyle equivalent of a fast food worker in 1980, when accounting for rent and food and not distorting inflation because televisions are cheaper.
On average, single workers in the US require an annual income of $57,200 to make a living wage in America, according to the analysis by GOBankingRates. That amount is a couple thousand less than the average income of all American workers, regardless of marital status — $59,428, according to Forbes.
How much house can you afford? Following the 28/36 rule, with your $80,000 income, you want your monthly housing payments to stay below $1,866. If we assume a 30-year loan at 6.5 percent interest, with a traditional 20 percent down payment, that means you can likely afford a home of about $310,000.
The annual salary needed to afford a $400,000 home is about $127,000. Over the past few years, prospective homeowners have chased a moving target: homeownership. The median sales price of houses sold in the U.S. stood at $417,700 in the fourth quarter of 2023—down from a peak of $479,500 in Q4 2022.
One common way to classify the upper middle class is based on income. The upper middle class is often defined as the top 15% to 20% of earners. According to the Social Security Administration's 2022 wage data, the average upper-middle-class income was roughly between $80,000 and $100,000.
What is a Good Salary in the US? A good salary in the US depends on various factors, but generally, a comfortable standard of living is attainable with an annual income of around $70,000 to $100,000 for a single individual.
An analysis of the living wage (as calculated in December 2022 and reflecting a compensation being offered to an individual in 2023), compiling geographically specific expenditure data for food, childcare, health care, housing, transportation, and other necessities, finds that: The living wage in the United States is ...
Earnings among this group are between $28,008 and $55,000. Middle class: The middle class is officially those whose earnings put them in the 40th to 60th percentile of household income. The income range is $55,001 to $89,744.
$66,000 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $80,000 is the 75th percentile. Salaries above this are outliers.
$80,000 a year is how much an hour? If you make $80,000 a year, your hourly salary would be $38.46.
Income Thresholds for the Upper Class
In the U.S., for example, the median household income stands at around $75,000, according to the Census Bureau. Households greatly surpassing this amount, typically around $250,000 or more, are often considered upper class.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage across all occupations in 2021 was $58,260 [1]. For a person living in Phoenix, Arizona, where the median wage is $56,610, earning above the national average may be considered very good.
You could invest your money in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or real estate. This would help you grow your money over time and reach your long-term financial goals. Save for a rainy day. An emergency fund is essential for unexpected expenses.
The national mean salary in the United States is $56,310 according to the National Compensation Survey. That works out to be $27 per hour. So in order to be above average, you have to earn more than $28 per hour. Why not be way above average and find a job that pays $30 more than the average hourly salary?
States that require the highest living wage for individuals are Hawaii ($112,411) followed by Massachusetts ($87,909) and then California ($80,013).
Happiness is a six-figure salary: On average, Americans say they need $284,167 per year to be happy. Millennials are driving up the average. While the other generations say happiness is about $130,00 a year, millennials say they need $525,000 a year.
If you're earning $75,000 each year, you're doing a bit better than half the country. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in 2021 stood at $70,784, so that extra $4,216 puts you in the upper 50 percent of earners.
Lower-income households had incomes less than $48,500; Upper-income households had incomes greater than $145,500; Middle-income households fell into a range between those two numbers.