presonorek
Gold Member
- Jun 7, 2015
- 7,528
- 1,149
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- #61
First, many if not most states pay above $7.50 - many twice that. If you are in a poor, rural area where the minimum wage is $7.50, then a household income of $60,000 for four unskilled, uneducated people isn’t that bad. If you want more, you need to develop a career or trade.
Second, the AVERAGE household income is still close to $80,000 in the poorest states in the union - MS and WV. And in half the states, the average income is in the six figures!!
Third, take your example of two unskilled adults earning $35,000 combined. They are paying next to nothing for federal income taxes. With a standard deduction of $29,000, they owe on $6,000 - less than $1,000. (Just how little do you think they should pay?) And on top of that, they are eligible for Pell Grants to enroll in a career-building program, courtesy of the American taxpayer.
Sorry, but if there is a family of four adults living together - Mom, Dad, adult son, and adult daughter - who are all earning minimum wage or close to it, then they have made poor decisions in life.
Average Family Income by State 2024
worldpopulationreview.com
You are working with averages not medians. Ultra-high income earners inflate the average. There are millions of people in the United States earning less than $20,000 per year.