What is the average salary to feel financially healthy?
Florida. The Sunshine State is doing pretty well, despite previously high unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, unemployment is at 2.8%. While you do need to make a bit more than $106,000 to be happy here, well-being is possible at $60,600.
The median household income in the U.S. is just under $75,000, so it makes sense that the largest proportion of those surveyed (45%) said that it's possible to be financially stable by earning between $50,000 and $100,000 a year.
You Are Financially Healthy When …
You spend less money than you make. You have enough savings to cover 3 to 6 months' worth of expenses. You can come up with $3000 to cover emergency expenses. This money could come from your savings, interest-free borrowing or the sale of assets.
Here's what each generation, on average, said it needed to earn annually, as well as the net worth required, to achieve happiness: Gen Z: $128,000, with a net worth of $487,711. Millennials: $525,000, with a net worth of $1,699,571. Gen X: $130,000, with a net worth of $1,213,759.
By just about any measure, earning $80,000 a year is a good salary. It's about $5,000 higher than the U.S. median household income, per Census data.
What do studies say about money and happiness? Purdue University found the ideal average income for people worldwide is $95,000 and $105,000 in the U.S. Beyond that, satisfaction with life deteriorates, it said.
A Smart Asset report based on MIT's Living Wage data found that the average salary required to live comfortably in the U.S. is $68,499 after taxes. This is nearly $10,000 higher than what the average salary currently is.
The short answer is yes, $500,000 is enough for many retirees. The question is how that will work out for you. With an income source like Social Security, modes spending, and a bit of good luck, this is feasible. And when two people in your household get Social Security or pension income, it's even easier.
By the numbers: 63% of Americans rate their current financial situation as being "good," including 19% of us who say it's "very good." Neither number is particularly low: They're both entirely in line with the average result the past 20 times Harris Poll has asked this question.
Being financially stable means you have enough money coming in to cover your expenses, as well as some extra funds to put aside for savings or potential crises. You continuously save money, you have paid your high-interest debts and you don't fret about emergencies because you're financially prepared.
What is a good salary to sustain a family?
Out of all 99 cities SmartAsset examined, a family of four would need a median of $226,886 to live comfortably. In Houston, the income needed drops to $175,219 — the lowest of all cities examined.
On average, Gen Z defines a high starting salary as $82k.
Gen Z grads are in tune with realistic starting salaries by industry.
Gen Z is stressed out about their finances. So, they're working to establish good money habits now. They may be young, but Gen Zers' lives have already been riddled with financial obstacles, including record high inflation and bloated education costs.
In 2020, according to Pew Research Center analysis, the median for upper income households was around $220,000 and the median for middle income households was slightly above $90,000.
The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households that earn between two-thirds and double the median U.S. household income, which was $65,000 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Annual household income in U.S. dollars | Percentage of U.S. households |
---|---|
75,000 to 99,999 | 12.3% |
100,000 to 149,999 | 16.4% |
150,000 to 199,999 | 9.2% |
200,000 and over | 11.9% |
Is $100K a good salary? In almost every case, yes. It's well above the poverty line as well as the American median income for both individuals and smaller families. Even in the face of rising inflation, a $100,000 annual income can typically afford a comfortable lifestyle and financial stability.
Only 12.3% of Americans make in the $75,000 to $99,999 range. An additional 16.4% make between $100,000 and $149,000. However, a large portion of Americans (16.2%) earn in the $50,000 to $74,999 range.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans, on average, estimate that a family of four needs a minimum income of $85,000 annually to “get by” in their community, marking a considerable increase from a decade ago.
According to the US Census Bureau, the majority of Americans (54.98%) make $50,000 per year or less, while only 18% of individual Americans make $100,000 per year or more. This means that over 80% of Americans make less than $100,000 per year.
What's the average salary of a U.S. citizen?
As of 2023, the average salary in the USA varies largely across industries, job positions, age groups, levels of experience, and educational backgrounds. However, the average salary nationwide in the US, according to Forbes, is $59,428. On the other hand, median household income in the US was $70,784 in 2021.
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 ...
If you have $400,000 in the bank you can retire early at age 62, but it will be tight. The good news is that if you can keep working for just five more years, you are on track for a potentially quite comfortable retirement by full retirement age.
Retirement Under $2,000 Can Be Fulfilling
Living on a monthly budget of around $1,500 might involve relocating to a more affordable city, gardening or growing your own food and embracing a minimalist lifestyle centered around community-driven experiences while cutting back on dining out and personal expenditures.
- Chiang Mai, Thailand. Advantages: Very inexpensive. ...
- San Juan, Puerto Rico. Advantage: In the United States. ...
- Claremont, New Hampshire. A couple who found a place to retire on $2,000 per month. ...
- Decatur, Indiana. Advantages: Potentially low rent. ...
- El Paso, Texas.
References
- https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/download/how-to-develop-non-financial-kpis
- https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/kpi-examples/financial
- https://practice.do/blog/4-best-financial-coach-certifications-an-unpaid-review
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-subjective-and-objective-knowledge
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350111182_Consumer's_subjective_financial_well-being_A_systematic_review_and_research_agenda
- https://www.approachfp.com/retire-on-500k/
- https://prowritingaid.com/subjective-vs-objective
- https://www.theadvisorcoach.com/financial-advisor-coaching.html
- https://examsoft.com/resources/subjective-and-objective-assessment-differences/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/061916/what-best-measure-companys-financial-health.asp
- https://www.ourgrovecu.com/the-four-pillars-of-financial-health/
- https://www.ramseysolutions.com/business/how-to-make-money-as-a-financial-coach
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/is-100000-a-good-salary/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10834-020-09678-9
- https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/business-studies/intermediate-accounting/elements-of-financial-statements/
- https://www.phroogal.com/financial-wellness-roadmap/
- https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/finance/resources/strategic-cfo/how-to-build-a-highly-effective-finance-team/
- https://livingwage.mit.edu/articles/103-new-data-posted-2023-living-wage-calculator
- https://www.netsuite.com/portal/resource/articles/accounting/financial-kpis-metrics.shtml
- https://www.powerthesaurus.org/financial_well-being/synonyms
- https://www.taotesting.com/blog/objective-subjective-assessment-whats-the-difference/
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-financial-wellness-why-does-matter-amit-rajeshirke-jybkc
- https://www.northwesternmutual.com/life-and-money/what-can-millionaires-teach-us-about-financial-planning/
- https://www.simplekpi.com/Blog/KPI-Scorecards-Explained
- https://money.usnews.com/financial-advisors/articles/financial-coaching-what-it-is-and-how-to-become-a-financial-coach
- https://resources.smartbizloans.com/blog/business-finances/how-to-tell-if-a-company-is-doing-well-financially
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/203183/percentage-distribution-of-household-income-in-the-us/
- https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-measure-success
- https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-is-subjective-wellbeing
- https://insightsoftware.com/blog/30-best-accounting-kpis-and-metric-examples/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6382036/
- https://fedmanager.com/news/what-is-financial-wellness-and-why-does-it-matter
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/4-elements-define-personal-financial-well-being/
- https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/business/hr-payroll/average-salary-us/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/27/how-much-money-family-of-4-needs-to-live-comfortably-in-us-cities.html
- https://www.koho.ca/learn/financial-planner-advisor-coach/
- https://www.qlik.com/us/kpi
- https://www.grammarly.com/blog/objective-vs-subjective/
- https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/how-do-you-measure-your-business-success-skills-small-business
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/subjective-data-in-nursing-definition-and-examples.html
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/financial-coach
- https://www.charles-stanley.co.uk/insights/commentary/what-is-a-financial-coach
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financial-health.asp
- https://brainly.com/question/40586958
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Financial-Coach-Salary-per-Hour
- https://www.expensein.com/blog/business-advice/kpis-and-performance-metrics-for-finance-teams-in-2022-guide
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/income-financially-stable-most-americans-190012008.html
- https://www.njstatelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Are-You-Financially-Healthy-Handout.pdf
- https://www.rocketmoney.com/learn/personal-finance/financially-stable
- https://valenciacollege.edu/academics/academic-affairs/learning-assessment/documents/handout4-yellow-quiz-choosingbetweenobjectiveandsubjectivetestitems.pdf
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/which-is-more-important-knowledge-or-money.html
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/average-salary-in-us/
- https://joinhandshake.com/network-trends/gen-z-salary-transparency/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9883609/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/12/financial-success.asp
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/most-americans-plan-to-spend-less-than-%242000-a-month-in-retirement-are-they-being
- https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/investing/are-you-upper-middle-class/
- https://paperbell.com/blog/finance-coach-certification/
- https://www.qlik.com/us/dashboard-examples/kpi-dashboards
- https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/financial-performance-measures
- https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/how-can-you-use-kpis-reduce-costs-skills-performance-management
- https://pro.morningconsult.com/analyst-reports/gen-z-money-personal-finances
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-better-measure-of-success-money-or-wisdom
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/success-metrics
- https://www.aia.com/en/health-wellness/healthy-living/healthy-finances/Financial-literacy-fundamental
- https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/key-performance-indicators/9781118913239/
- https://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/70994/5-common-project-financial-measures
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/interview-question-how-to-define-success
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-percentage-of-people-who-make-more-than-100k-per-year-in-the-US-How-many-people-make-over-1M-year-Is-there-a-difference-in-these-numbers-based-on-state-or-city
- https://www.lifecoachmagazine.com/wealth-coach-certification/
- https://smartasset.com/advisor-resources/average-number-of-clients-per-financial-advisor
- https://www.jedox.com/en/blog/financial-kpis/
- https://www.broadridgeadvisor.com/KT/trns.aspx?xd=SBBP-010-keys&il=ff&xsl=content
- https://www.cifinancial.com/ci-di/ca/en/personal-finance-blog/investing/5-steps-to-financial-wellness.html
- https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/finance-kpi
- https://online.mason.wm.edu/blog/four-types-of-financial-statements
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Ramsey-Solutions-Senior-Financial-Coach-Salaries-E355423_D_KO17,39.htm
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-us-cities-where-retire-144820803.html
- https://www.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/financial-well-being
- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/objective
- https://www.thestreet.com/lifestyle/david-ramsey-net-worth-15141963
- https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/390753/Dave-Ramsey
- https://www.lifecoachmagazine.com/how-to-become-a-life-coach-without-certification/
- https://www.unh.edu/health/financial-wellness
- https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-annual-income-price-of-happiness-wealth-retirement-generations-survey-2023-11
- https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/objective
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/solvencyratio.asp
- http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/en/adalayed/publication/66617
- https://www.axios.com/2024/01/17/americans-are-actually-pretty-happy-with-their-finances
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262074846_The_Relationship_Between_Objective_and_Subjective_Wealth_is_Moderated_by_Financial_Control_and_Mediated_by_Money_Anxiety
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/506405/americans-say-families-need-000.aspx
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financialperformance.asp
- https://smartasset.com/financial-advisor/what-is-a-financial-coach
- https://www.unfcu.org/financial-wellness/50-30-20-rule/
- https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/financial-analysis-tools/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/100516/setting-financial-goals/
- https://www.ramseysolutions.com/business/coaching/financial-coach-training
- https://hive.com/blog/measure-of-success-isnt-just-numbers/
- https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0912/which-income-class-are-you.aspx
- https://www.1stunitedcu.org/more-for-you/financial-wellness/five-steps-to-improving-your-financial-situation
- https://www.ramseysolutions.com/dave-ramsey
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/financial-well-being/about/
- https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125984233.pdf
- https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1241055.pdf
- https://www.datapine.com/kpi-examples-and-templates/finance
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/describe-each-of-the-four-primary-financial-objectives-of-firms.html
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-non-financial-kpis-william-wood
- https://barbarafriedbergpersonalfinance.com/money-only-measure-of-success/
- https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Ramsey-Solutions/salaries/Coach
- https://www.arrow.net.au/what-are-the-four-elements-of-financial-management/
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/smart-kpi-what-kpis-how-use-business-meaning-examples-shone-fone-ng
- https://www.lifecoachmagazine.com/best-financial-coach-certification/
- https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/business-studies/financial-performance/financial-objectives/
- https://www.securian.com/insights-tools/articles/relationship-between-financial-mental-health.html
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/i-make-80k-a-year-how-much-house-can-i-afford/
- https://www.clearpointstrategy.com/blog/18-key-performance-indicators
- https://www.bankrate.com/investing/financial-advisors/what-is-a-financial-coach/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/average-salary-state-us-152311356.html
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2023/09/08/cost-of-happiness-by-country-cities/70771946007/
- https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/3-financial-statements-to-measure-companys-strength
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/retire-62-400-000-401-154948217.html
- https://www.fa-mag.com/news/financial-planning-is-top-of-mind-for-millionaires--study-says-74597.html
- https://carmelsealey.com/journal/notes/the-difference-between-object-and-objective/
- https://maps.org.uk/en/our-work/uk-strategy-for-financial-wellbeing/what-is-financial-wellbeing
- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Financial-Well-Being-and-Subjective-Well-Being_fig4_336918423
- https://1finance.co.in/blog/financial-well-being-vs-financial-wellness-whats-the-difference
- https://www.navyfederal.org/investment-services/investments/4-steps-to-financial-success.html
- https://www.yourmoneyline.com/wellness/financial-well-being-definition
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/failures-lead-to-success
- https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/how-do-you-define-success/
- https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/difference-between-objective-and-subjective/
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/financial-performance/
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/three-cs-of-credit-character-capital-capacity.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK179225/
- https://www.luisazhou.com/blog/financial-coaching-certifications/