Average household income

[AteAlien]

I live in a poor state and a town with poor people. The average household income is less than 23k per year. Yes. Less than 23k per year. Per household.

Thank the gods that property taxes are next to nothing and there is a medical clinic that does the best it can to take care of people.

I can't even imagine how people are making it in the cities with ever escalating rental costs, fuel costs, food costs, cooling costs, and you name it costs.

I feel lucky to be living in the middle of nowhere these days. I am connected to the rest of the world, yet I don't have to deal with what people in cities have to deal with.

You have, whether appropriate or not, my empathy. Everyone living in a city or suburb. I feel for you.

[napi21]

1. Where do you live? I'd love to be your neighbor! n/t

[cynatnite]

2. Some people love their big cities...

We did when we lived in one. Everything was close by and public transporation rocked. The car sat most of the time. We've lived San Fran, Oceanside and a few other suburbs of large cities.

So it was not all bad.

Small town life...I've done that and hated it. There was next to nothing. There were no decent stores and getting adequate medical care meant at least a thirty minute drive. It's not good if you have a serious accident or some life threatening illness.

As with anyplace anyone lives...there are positives and negatives.

Personally, I wouldn't live in a small town.

[AteAlien]

5. I totally understand what you are saying

thanks!

[Divine Discontent]

3. "can't even imagine how"

by the grace of God, fellow DUer....

without the charity and kindness of others I would not be where I'm living. It's rather nice and economical. How many of these people make it with $250,000+ homes and kids is beyond me... I realize many DON'T (hence the massive increase in foreclosures last year)



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[AteAlien]

6. To me, it's as though they live in another universe

that I can read about, and see, but am not a part of.

I wish you the best!

[Jed Dilligan]

4. Average income is a meaningless statistic. Do you mean median?

[AteAlien]

7. It's not meaningless

when one considers that no matter where one lives, one has to pay the price of groceries, the price of gas, the price of rent, the price of everything that is continuously going up up up.

thanks for responding with your thoughts!

[Jed Dilligan]

10. No, it's literally meaningless.

If you put Bill Gates in a room with fifty homeless people, their average income is in the millions of dollars.

[AteAlien]

12. i understand what you are saying

but I was trying not to be so literal. Not figuratively, but comparatively. In a real world, day to day sense of speaking. No, I'm not a scientist, and I don't play one on TV.

peace to you

[Jed Dilligan]

14. If you tell me where you live (not your address, but town, county

or state) I can give you the real number in about five minutes! :)

[Alcibiades]

8. Since you bring up the subject of average income

I know it's tangential, but I sometimes use this as a means of figuring where people are politically: I ask people what they think the average income in the US is. The rich and upper middle class people are the ones whose guesses are farthest off (so much for the benefits of education). They always overestimate, sometimes wildly. Strangely, few folks underestimate, even if they are poor.

In 2003, the median US income was 45,000. Of course, there's a big difference in how that spends in New York City and Springfield, Missouri.

[AteAlien]

9. This poor county votes

75% repuke. I will never understand.

[Alcibiades]

11. Joe Bageant

In his book "Deer Hunting With Jesus," writes something along the lines that if you live a very tenuous existence, it might seem smart to vote for the "strong man" who's going to keep you safe and make sure the property values don't crash and that you keep your job. :shrug:

[alittlelark]

13. It has to do w/ education and access to news/Information

That is why they are 75% R. Only 25-30% will gravitate to the conservative message if they have access to FACTS, FIGURES and knowledgeable analysis.