PRINCETON, N.J., May 20 (UPI) — The federal poverty level for a U.S. family of four is just under $24,000, but most say a family of four needs $58,000 on average to “get by,” a survey says.
Gallup’s April 11-14 Economics and Finance poll found 29 percent of U.S. adults said these families need up to $50,000 in annual income, 47 percent said they need $50,000-$99,999 and 10 percent said they need $100,000 or more.
The average $58,000 a year to get by, was only a bit higher than what Gallup found six years ago, in 2007. At that time, Americans estimated that the smallest amount a family of four needed to get by in their community was about $52,000.
At $58,000, Americans’ perceptions of the amount it takes just to get by in their community is close to the national median household income, but well above the poverty line, Gallup said.
Gallup first asked about the minimum amount per week a family of four needed to get by in the 1930s.
The poll is based on telephone interviews of 1,012 adults conducted April 11-14. The survey has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Copyright 2013 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
5 thoughts on “Poll: Family of four needs an average $58,000 a year”
The problem with alot of people is they are not willing to work hard anymore.Alot of people have no work ethic.They think they should get paid well,they haven’t put anything in to building up their skills so the can better themselves, they want the $ just handed to them.I’m not including everyone, but are alot of these kind, that have no one too blame but themselves.My family consist of 2 adults and 1 child because I knew that is what we could afford.And still have some what of a life.
I just have a question: don’t these people know how much they earn before they keep poppin out them baked goods?
What you need and what you get are often two different things. In China they get by for dollars a day, can only have one child and still we hate them because we want it all.
America, those days are over. Our time is over. We will move toward a 3rd world country from now on. Our time in the sun is passing. The next century will not be ours. Wages are going down not up for everyone except government employees. That always signifies the beginning of the end.
@LBS-unfortunately I must agree with you again except for your comments about China but even those are somewhat correct. I have been to China several times and you would not believe how a lot of those people live. We still have it pretty good compared to most of them. You really have to go there and spend some time there to understand it. Your comments about wages here are right on. Pay is going down and people do not live as well. Lot of people under what they consider the poverty level. Some don’t want to work but some do.
Not many jobs around here that pay that much. It’s a shame as there used to be several plants around that paid well.