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Are people who make 200k a year "poor"? (sopuli.xyz)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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[โ€“] -1 points 6 months ago (9 children)

In some parts of america with a larger family, yes.

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  • [โ€“] 8 points 6 months ago (5 children)

    I mean no offense, but I don't think this is true.

    I don't think anyone who makes $200,000 a year is considered poor under legal definitions or under the casual common use of the term.

    You could make $200k and be in debt. You could make $200k and be in a precarious situation. But I don't think you can make $200k and qualify as in poverty, either legally or in the court of public opinion.

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  • [โ€“] -2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (4 children)

    You can find elsewhere in the thread where the guy shared the chart about San Francisco. So, what I said is true.

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  • [โ€“] 4 points 6 months ago* (3 children)

    I saw it, and it said that a household of eight living on an income of $200k would be "low income".

    First, "low income" is not poor, either legally or in the informal definition of the word. Even according to the chart you're referencing, $200k is far above the poverty line. It's more than twice the cutoff for "extremely low income".

    Second, this is also based on an absurd qualifier: It's only "low" if you're trying to support seven dependents.

    By this logic, $300k a year is poor too (if you're supporting a household of 12), and a million a year is also poor (if you're supporting a household of 40 in San Francisco).

    This is silly. If your monthly income is $16k you aren't poor.

    You can still be broke. You can be in debt. But no: you are not poor.

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  • [โ€“] -2 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    OP didn't really ask for your definition of the word. OP asked broadly and in quotes. And, yes with a large enough amount of mouths to feed and house, 300k could not be enough to support that and you could be poor. Granted, its unlikely.

    All of that aside, I think you're just biased because you don't live in an area like SF. To you 200k seems like a lot of money, so you can't fathom being poor with that income. Poverty line in parts of the bay area is $150k.

    What you don't seem to understand is the cost of housing. A 3 bedroom apartment or house (normal boring house) will cost between $5000-$20000/month. That is barely affordable on $200,000 after taxes.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 child)

    You're welcome to your opinion, but what's funny is that I live in Oakland in a household of three on a joint income of $160k. We live in a two bedroom apartment near Lake Merritt that costs $2500 per month. And we're pretty comfortable.

    It sounds like you and I are neighbors. If you're having a harder time than I am I don't want to invalidate your experience. But not everyone who feels financially constrained is poor, imo.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 6 months ago (2 children)

    Looking at you, San Francisco. .

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  • [โ€“] 6 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    $200k is not poor in San Francisco.

    It's still significantly above average, even in San Francisco.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 6 months ago

    Licensed childcare runs between $2500 and $4000 per month per child here in the Bay Area; $200k salary is about $150k after tax. Doesn't take a terribly big family to totally exhaust that amount if both parents need to work to bring it in.

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