How Much Americans Earn

Americans are paid well in comparison with the wages paid in most countries, but the value of their wages can be misleading. Due to the high cost of living in the United States, most families have very little money remaining after they pay for their housing, clothing, food, transportation and other expenses In fact, many families spend more money each month than they earn. Listed below is the average monthly income in the United States for numerous types of jobs. As you examine these figures, it is important to consider two facts. First, the average monthly income of American families with three members in 1999 was $ 3,898, before paying taxes. However, $ 641 that amount was lost because of pension contributions and taxes that were paid to the national, state and local governments, leaving the average American family of that size with $ 3,257 to paving living expenses. Second, family incomes vary greatly in relation to the size of the family, the number of adults it contains, the age of the family members, their education, their race, and the part of the United States they live in. For example, with regard to the factor of location, in 2001 a family that earned $ 6.000 a month in New York City had the same standard of living as a family in Boston, a cheaper city in which live, that earned $ 4,512. To cite another example, a family that lived in Peoria, a small city located 400 kilometers southwest of Chicago, needed only $ 2,947 a month to experience the same standard of living as a family in New York that earned $ 6,000 a month. The cost of living in the United States and the spending habits of American families will be examined below, but for now, wages earned through various types of jobs in the United States, before the payment of taxes.

Monthly Income