Affluence in the United States refers to an individual's or household's state of being in an economically favorable position in contrast to a given reference group. While there are no precise guidelines or thresholds for what may be considered affluent, the United States Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census does provide detailed statistical data on the economic state of America's population.
Income, measured either by household or individual, is perhaps the most commonly used measure for whether or not a given entity may be considered affluent. The term's usage varies greatly depending on context and speaker. Both an upper middle class person with a personal income of $77,500 annually and a billionaire may be referred to as affluent. If the average American with a median income of roughly $32,000 ($39,000 for those employed full-time between the ages of 25 and 64) was used as a reference group, the upper middle class person with a personal income in the tenth percentile of $77,500 may indeed be referred to as affluent. If compared to an executive of the Fortune 500, however, the upper middle class person would be poor.
Currently, marketing corporations and investment houses classify those with household incomes exceeding $75,000 as mass affluent, while sociologist Leonard Beeghley identifies all those with a net worth of $1 million or more as "rich." The upper class is most commonly defined as the top 1% with household incomes commonly exceeding $250,000 annually. These two figures should be seen only as guidelines based upon the top 1% of a population because net worth exceeding $1 million may be increasingly inaccurate as an upper class indicator as the value of the dollar falls and inflation along with interest.
The U.S. Census Bureau offers income data by household and individual. 42% of households have two income earners; thus making households' income levels higher than personal income levels. The 2005 economic survey revealed the income distribution for households and individuals whereby the top 5% of individuals had six figure incomes (exceeding $100,000) and the top 10% of individuals had incomes exceeding $75,000. The top 5% of households, three quarters of whom had two income earners, had incomes of $166,200 (about 10 times the 2009 minimum wage in the US) or more, with the top 10% having incomes well in excess of $100,000. The top 1.5% of households had incomes exceeding $250,000 with 146,000 households, the top 0.12%, having incomes exceeding $1,600,000 annually.
Households may also be differentiated among each other, depending on whether or not they have one or multiple income earners. The high female participation in the economy means that many households have two working members. In 2005 for example, the median households income for a two income earner households was $67,000. The median income for an individual employed full-time with a graduate degree was in excess of $60,000, concluding that nearly half of those with graduate degree are able to out-earn most dual income households with one-income.
The average home in the United States has more than 700 square feet per person, which is 50% - 100% more than in other high-income countries. Even in the lowest income percentiles people enjoy more space than middle classes in Europe. Likewise even in the lowest percentiles ownership rates of gadgets and amenities are exceptionally high compared to other countries. The labor market in the United States has attracted immigrants from all over the world and its net migration rate is among the highest in the world.
Overall the term affluent may be applied to a variety of individuals, households or other entities depending on context. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau serves as the main guideline for defining affluence. U.S. government data not only reveals the nation's income distribution but also provides data regarding the demographic characteristics of those to whom the term, affluent, may be applied.
Read more about Affluence In The United States: Top Percentiles, Median Income Levels, Professions, Education, Race, Status and Stratification, Extreme Affluence
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