> but you could take lots of retail or clerical jobs, advance through hard work and support a family on those wages. Those are the days that are super gone
Only in certain places, and only mostly due to crazy policies that made housing ridiculously unaffordable. I'm in an area where my barber lives on 10 acres of land he didn't inherit and together with his wife raises two children. This type of relaxed life is possible to do in wide swathes of the country outside of the tier-one cities that have global competition trying to get in and live there, as long as you make prudent choices.
I think 20- to 30-something engineers who have spent their entire adult lives in major coastal cities have a huge blind spot to how middle America lives.
Very anecdotal, but I don't know anyone making minium wage for my area. I do know tons of people making within 1-2 dollars of minimum wage though. If we divvy up the data into groups like that, I wonder how much that 1% jumps.
I don't know how accurate this data is, but this website[0] breaks the US average down to single percentiles, and has detailed data for many metro areas, as well.
The comment I was replying to stated that that lifestyle is achievable for traditionally minimum wage (or close to it) jobs as long as you choose to live in a small city though
I was about to reply the same and I looked up the BLS data. The median wage for a barber is $14.41. Now I know that's at or below minimum wage in cities, but I suspect it's quite higher the minimum wage in rural areas.
I don't see a problem with that, as long as those who may be earning minimum wage at any given time have the opportunity to improve their lot. I see no reason why the lowest incomes would result in median lifestyles.
To be clear, I don't think most people expect that either -- but I'd argue that most entry-level jobs today are just a big endless cycle of unskilled labor staying long enough to get fed up and moving to the next dead-end job, with the companies moving on to the next as well.
In general, I'd argue minimum wage jobs aren't anymore a stepping stone to some sustainable good job; they're basically viewed like consumables by companies. Even someone with a decade of experience, say, at several retail stores or restaurants, can't expect to be offered a position making $50,000 a year plus benefits just for having done his job well every day. By contrast, a dedicated factory worker with a decade of experience 50 years ago could expect to have advanced somewhat, and would expect continued advancement. Today everyone working in retail, restaurants, etc. all know that if they're going to do any better it's going to be by leaving that sector, via learning a trade, going to college, or perhaps founding their own small business. All things which were good options in the past too, but advancement was once a realistic expectation too.
How middle America lives, for a lot of people, is making within a buck or two of minimum wage, with virtually zero chance of significant advancement, trying to scrape together enough to meet your expenses. You might become assistant manager of the big box store, but that won't transform your life. The only way out is learning a skilled trade or certain college degrees (and likely leaving town).
This isn't specific to cities.
In fact, people in rural areas are worse impacted, because the rise of Walmart, Dollar General, and others funnel money out of their towns that would have otherwise enable many local families to capture the profits from local spending. Today a lot of that spending goes mostly to those companies, and only a fraction of the money stays, in the form of a few low-wage jobs.
I'm not saying it's impossible to not live in poverty. I'm just saying it's much much harder, because "advancement" is obsolete in a lot of occupations where it used to be a thing.
The idea that an average working person could buy a house in their twenties was only possible: 1) in America, and 2) for the baby boomers generation, maybe for some of Gen X. Nowhere else, never after. This is the exception of exceptions, not a norm.
Be that as it may, I would like to continue at least this part of American exceptionalism. There is still plenty of room in this country for young families to own their own homes.
The entire world watched in awe. Here in Switzerland (a very well-developed country), buying a house is something done in the forties, if you are middle to upper middle class. Otherwise, you rent forever.
I am curious if your barber can afford health insurance plus out of pocket maximums for a family of four ($30k+ per year just in premiums plus $5k to $10k oop max), not to mention short and long term disability insurance in case he gets hurt and cannot work.
The only situation I can imagine would be if the wife has a government job with extremely generous health insurance subsidies.
Not OP, but I pay my barber $50 for a 15 minute haircut. Runs his “barbershop” out of his house, which he owns, in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Seattle.
There’s always another appointment lined up before and after mine, so I guess he’s pulling 6 figures without much sweat.
Something tells me a rural barber in a place he can afford to buy 10 acres without inheritance money is not in a location with many people willing or able to pay $50 for a 15min haircut.
You're quite right, people don't pay $50 for a haircut here, but it scales a little less than the cost of living does. I pay $35 inclusive of tip. For what it's worth, the cost of living here is a little over half of that in Seattle.
I live in the principal city of the local Metropolitan Statistical Area; it's by no means a big city, but it's representative of many small cities around the country. My barber lives out in the county, outside of city limits, where it is much more rural and one can indeed buy 10 acres for not a whole lot of money.
I believe his wife is a schoolteacher; I don't believe public employee benefits are especially generous in this state.
They are usually very generous, especially health insurance subsidies. My friend with a teacher wife pays almost zero, for premiums and out of pocket. And they had multiple IVF rounds covered.
Ask them what their deductible/oop max, and how they get that insurance, and I bet you will have your answer for how your friend can afford to raise a family of 4 as a barber and buy and live on 10 acres of land. I doubt a 2 barber couple could pull it off. The security/benefits of one half of a couple being a government employee is pretty valuable.
Probably, but my barber is awesome. Older now, but he was once very prolific and well known in the music & arts scene. He’s an excellent story teller, and an overall entertaining person to interact with.
I’m not just paying for a haircut, it’s an experience that’s worth every penny.
Only in certain places, and only mostly due to crazy policies that made housing ridiculously unaffordable. I'm in an area where my barber lives on 10 acres of land he didn't inherit and together with his wife raises two children. This type of relaxed life is possible to do in wide swathes of the country outside of the tier-one cities that have global competition trying to get in and live there, as long as you make prudent choices.
I think 20- to 30-something engineers who have spent their entire adult lives in major coastal cities have a huge blind spot to how middle America lives.