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This is useful info, but affordability is more relevant. I know someone living in Kansas and has no issue with a stay at home mom with 3 kids in a big enough house. Trying that in CA would be very hard even with higher salary.
Depends where you live and what you consider a "big enough" house.
I know people who bought 2,000 sq foot houses in Clovis (near Fresno) on teacher salaries just 4 or 5 years ago. The wives stay home to raise the kids, one has 2 children the other 3.
Depends where you live and what you consider a "big enough" house.
I know people who bought 2,000 sq foot houses in Clovis (near Fresno) on teacher salaries just 4 or 5 years ago. The wives stay home to raise the kids, one has 2 children the other 3.
Well, big enough is probably over 2000. I grew up in a ~2500sq ft house with around 1/4-1/2 acre, and in CA that's very expensive. Some teachers in CA may make a decent salary, but 4 or 5 years ago, the housing prices were noticeably lower, and Fresno isn't really a larger metro area. The salary survey referenced in this thread was mainly about the major metro areas.
In a place like Kansas, 2000sqft is about $150-200k with a decent sized lot.
Some teachers in CA may make a decent salary, but 4 or 5 years ago, the housing prices were noticeably lower, and Fresno isn't really a larger metro area. The salary survey referenced in this thread was mainly about the major metro areas.
No offense but the salary surveys included Fresno.
In the original post, Fresno was one of the best salary areas for Pharmacists. California Cities do very well in Salary Survey
Other smaller cities like Bakersfield and Stockton show up also in the survey.
My wife's father was a WWII veteran who worked to give the family an 1100 sq ft home on 1/2 acre after the war. Her mother stayed home to raise the 6 kids. I think they are probably one of the closest, most loving families I've ever seen. Not having a big home didn't harm them.
No offense but the salary surveys included Fresno.
In the original post, Fresno was one of the best salary areas for Pharmacists. California Cities do very well in Salary Survey
Other smaller cities like Bakersfield and Stockton show up also in the survey.
I didn't say it wasn't listed, but pharmacists generally make over $100k across the entire US. I looked at a school survey from the midwest and the average starting was about $103k for over 100 people reporting for jobs across the US. The percentage of CA cities that were listed in the first post as high paying were almost all within large metro areas. Stockton is not too distant from Sacramento and SF/Oakland.
There are also regional effects due to smaller cities and certain types of employers. Example, why would Albuquerque have the highest pay for surgeons? Maybe because there is a large government lab facility nearby. Stockton is near CA government job opportunities, so I wouldn't be surprised of higher salary there.
Salary.com is not considered too accurate, but what you showed is that the smaller cities are more affordable than LA, SF, or SD and that was what I'm saying. The majority of the CA population exists in these locations and have a higher cost of living.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FresnoFacts
Unfortunately, American's home size expectations have gotten larger as families have gotten smaller.
My wife's father was a WWII veteran who worked to give the family an 1100 sq ft home on 1/2 acre after the war. Her mother stayed home to raise the 6 kids. I think they are probably one of the closest, most loving families I've ever seen. Not having a big home didn't harm them.
My wife's father was a WWII veteran who worked to give the family an 1100 sq ft home on 1/2 acre after the war. Her mother stayed home to raise the 6 kids. I think they are probably one of the closest, most loving families I've ever seen. Not having a big home didn't harm them.
Of course when you have half an acre, there's room to spread out a little bit during the day. The typical 1100sf residence in a big city today would most likely be a 2 bedroom condo. Try squeezing 8 people in there with no yard for the kids and see how happy everyone is.
No offense, but you did say originally that the survey was about larger metro areas.
Although most Californians don't think of Fresno as a major area, it is about the 52nd largest metro area in the US with right around 1 million people in the county.
The Fresno MSA is only about 100,000 people smaller than the Salt Lake City MSA. It is larger that Albuquerque, Dayton, Albany and other metro areas that are better known.
But in a state like California with so many large metro areas Fresno seems much smaller.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia
Of course when you have half an acre, there's room to spread out a little bit during the day. The typical 1100sf residence in a big city today would most likely be a 2 bedroom condo. Try squeezing 8 people in there with no yard for the kids and see how happy everyone is.
But lets not forget that what people want is also more than just a basic residence. Marble or granite counters, master suites, luxurious bathrooms, etc. The 1100 sq ft in only a 2 bedroom condo because bedrooms have to be larger than 10 X 10.
All of those extras raises the price of the residence.
The WWII veterans were more than happy to buy a basic 800 sq ft, 2 bedroom house, on 1/7 acre in places like Levittown. I doubt most Americans today would think that was acceptable.
I went back to the original data from the starting post in this thead. They looked at the 100 largest metro areas in the US. The salaries are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Reading the article at the link this paragraph was interesting, remember Bakersfield is a much lower cost of living area than Los Angeles.
Quote:
Bakersfield, Calif., for example, outperforms nearby Los Angeles in nine of the 24 categories. The typical Bakersfield dentist earns 22 percent more than his or her Los Angeles counterpart. Pharmacists earn 11 percent more on average in Bakersfield than in L.A., while stockbrokers make 10 percent more in the smaller California metro.
bizjournals: How pay varies widely for same job -- bizjournals (http://www.bizjournals.com/edit_special/74.html - broken link)
I also compared Fresno salaries to a few other California areas in some of the 24 jobs they examined.
Fresno also is a much lower cost of living area than coastal California, coming in close to the US average for cost of living.
I don't have time to do all California cities and all 24 jobs but the numbers seem fairly consistent. Salaries are a little lower overall in Fresno but not enough to account for the difference in cost of living.
And as I show with financial agents, some salaries in Fresno exceed other California areas.
source: http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/pages/219.html (broken link)
Computer and information systems managers
Fresno $96,950
Riverside-San Bernardino $97,200
Sacramento $99,770
San Diego $107,710
Los Angeles $120,830
General and operations managers
Fresno $102,560
Riverside-San Bernardino $106,140
Sacramento $107,370
San Diego $114,820
Los Angeles $120,430
Securities and financial services sales agents
Fresno $93,360
Riverside-San Bernardino $62,460
Sacramento $64,160
San Diego $84,320
Los Angeles $88,470
But lets not forget that what people want is also more than just a basic residence. Marble or granite counters, master suites, luxurious bathrooms, etc. The 1100 sq ft in only a 2 bedroom condo because bedrooms have to be larger than 10 X 10.
All of those extras raises the price of the residence.
The WWII veterans were more than happy to buy a basic 800 sq ft, 2 bedroom house, on 1/7 acre in places like Levittown. I doubt most Americans today would think that was acceptable.
Our lifestyle is also different. We have more people working from home, requiring space. Kids do school work on computers and need some place to study. A 10x10 bedroom is damn small and has room for little more than a bed and a small dresser.
I bet the WWII vet happy with the 800sf house wouldn't be happy living the way his grandparents did back in Italy or Poland. Improving living standards isn't a bad thing.
Improving standards is one thing, but some of it goes too far.
I stunned someone recently when I said my 2 college roommates and I split the cost of 1 phone line. They are in college today and can't imagine sharing a phone with a roomie.
Yeah, so. Now check out the cost of living statistics. Home values especially.
Seattle(above) surrounding areas are not so bad compared to San Fran and the other cities above. California is a HUGE state and prices of homes/rent can vary greatly in different places there. Example: Tracy or Stockon areas (outside bay area) compared to the San Fran bay areas. Although, who wants to drive any distance with gas prices as they are. Food and basic necesities are as expensive everywhere alike.
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