WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Your Salary (lawyer, contractor, DMV)

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

I find that not eating does wonders for my figure...


Seriously, though, I wouldn't consider $60k to be "bottom basement". I haven't broken that amount yet and feel like I live a pretty good life. I have a great house (albeit with a roommate), travel as much as my work schedule allows, shop/eat out when I want to, have a decent car, and minimal debt. I know people who make less and are also quite happy.

I'm not making that much either. Close but not quite and I don't consider myself poor. I'm not "riding high on the hog" either but considering how much I was making a few years ago I'm doing quite alright.

[Brillig]

I dunno about 60k being bottom of the barrel. I make a little less than that and things are okay.Yeah, I have a used car, but I just bought a used house too. Its in Petworth and no one is shooting at me or stealing my stuff. My neighbors are pretty cool, although there is this one nut that howls at the neighbors forever-barking dog when he gets too drunk . . .
My mortgage is probably a lot lower than rent in Columbia Heights or Adam Morgan. I'm not flying off to Aspen for ski weekends, but I'm not much for that anyway. I'm pretty proud to be where I am.

[Forte]

Originally Posted by Brillig

I dunno about 60k being bottom of the barrel. I make a little less than that and things are okay.Yeah, I have a used car, but I just bought a used house too. Its in Petworth and no one is shooting at me or stealing my stuff. My neighbors are pretty cool, although there is this one nut that howls at the neighbors forever-barking dog when he gets too drunk . . .
My mortgage is probably a lot lower than rent in Columbia Heights or Adam Morgan. I'm not flying off to Aspen for ski weekends, but I'm not much for that anyway. I'm pretty proud to be where I am.

Hey my friend, you have to take what people say anonymously on a message board with a grain of salt. The reality is that unless you are the president of the US, most government employees top out at $150K a year. The folks in here suggesting that 60K is bottom of the barrel are a) out of touch with reality or b) lying. At the end of the day it's more about how much you can save than how much you earn. The less debt you have, the better. I'd rather make 60k a year, with a $1,100 mortgage and very little debt than $120K a year with a $3,200 mortgage and high student loan debt. Don't be discouraged. Contrary to popular belief (or at least on this board) nobody comes out of undergrad making 80K a year in DC lol.

[juniperbleu]

Originally Posted by vegas_to_dc

I'm an economist [private] making 120 base w/ about a 30k bonus - wife pulls in about another 80k.

Just out of curiosity, where do you work? I don't mean to be nosy, I'm also an economist (government, no PhD) and am curious. While I enjoy government, I like knowing what else is out there. If you're ok with responding, a private message is totally fine.

[Nemesis16]

Originally Posted by Forte

Hey my friend, you have to take what people say anonymously on a message board with a grain of salt. The reality is that unless you are the president of the US, most government employees top out at $150K a year. The folks in here suggesting that 60K is bottom of the barrel are a) out of touch with reality or b) lying. At the end of the day it's more about how much you can save than how much you earn. The less debt you have, the better. I'd rather make 60k a year, with a $1,100 mortgage and very little debt than $120K a year with a $3,200 mortgage and high student loan debt. Don't be discouraged. Contrary to popular belief (or at least on this board) nobody comes out of undergrad making 80K a year in DC lol.

True but entry-level fresh out of college job seekers tend to land jobs making $60,000 in this area working for a private company.

[Forte]

Originally Posted by Nemesis16

True but entry-level fresh out of college job seekers tend to land jobs making $60,000 in this area working for a private company.

your statements, and the facts (at least reported by the census and given on this website) don't support your argument.

the largest employer in the dmv area is the government. federal, DC, MD, VA, county, and local. new college grads on average are not coming out making anywhere near 60k annually. if you have information that proves me wrong, i'd definitely love to see it.

per city data:

[LEFT]Estimated median household income in 2008: $57,936 (it was $40,127 in 2000)
[LEFT]Washington: $57,936District of Columbia: $57,936[/LEFT]


Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Washington-District-of-Columbia.html#ixzz15SlwvgfC[/LEFT]


Estimated per capita income in 2008: $42,069

[LEFT][LEFT]For population 25 years and over in Washington[/LEFT]

• High school or higher: 77.8%
• Bachelor's degree or higher: 39.1%
• Graduate or professional degree: 21.0%
• Unemployed: 10.8%

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Washington-District-of-Columbia.html#ixzz15SmEs8WZ[/LEFT]


Prince Georges County

[LEFT]Estimated median household income in 2008: $72,166 ($55,256 in 1999)
[LEFT]This county: $72,166Maryland: $70,545[/LEFT]


Read more: http://www.city-data.com/county/Prince_George-s_County-MD.html#ixzz15SmqWtXd

[LEFT]Current college students: 72,662
People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 84.9%
People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 27.2%

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/county/Prince_George-s_County-MD.html#ixzz15Sn1ZFhB


[/LEFT]


[/LEFT]

[Econolodge-911]

Originally Posted by stars99

I'm seeing some bottom basement salaries listed here for life in DC (60K ). How do you ppl survive?

Not even close.

You'd be surprised how many highly qualified people are eeking by on $30k - $40 a year and still paying off college loans which exceed their annual salaries.

Try the Capitol Hill crowd or any DC-based non-profit organization.

Junior Senate staffers, for instance, are hard pressed to make over $42,000 a year even putting in 60+ hours per week. Salaries on the House side are even considerably lower.

Non-profit? Try living in the District on less than $35k/year.

[Nemesis16]

Originally Posted by Forte

your statements, and the facts (at least reported by the census and given on this website) don't support your argument.

the largest employer in the dmv area is the government. federal, DC, MD, VA, county, and local. new college grads on average are not coming out making anywhere near 60k annually. if you have information that proves me wrong, i'd definitely love to see it.

per city data:

[LEFT]Estimated median household income in 2008: $57,936 (it was $40,127 in 2000)
[LEFT]Washington: $57,936District of Columbia: $57,936[/LEFT]


Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Washington-District-of-Columbia.html#ixzz15SlwvgfC[/LEFT]


Estimated per capita income in 2008: $42,069

[LEFT][LEFT]For population 25 years and over in Washington[/LEFT]

• High school or higher: 77.8%
• Bachelor's degree or higher: 39.1%
• Graduate or professional degree: 21.0%
• Unemployed: 10.8%

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Washington-District-of-Columbia.html#ixzz15SmEs8WZ[/LEFT]


Prince Georges County

[LEFT]Estimated median household income in 2008: $72,166 ($55,256 in 1999)
[LEFT]This county: $72,166Maryland: $70,545[/LEFT]


Read more: http://www.city-data.com/county/Prince_George-s_County-MD.html#ixzz15SmqWtXd

[LEFT]Current college students: 72,662
People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 84.9%
People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 27.2%

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/county/Prince_George-s_County-MD.html#ixzz15Sn1ZFhB


[/LEFT]


[/LEFT]

I said COLLEGE GRADUATES. You're showing me a skew of numbers that includes lower education individuals. Also, if you bothered to read what I stated, I adamantly said PRIVATE COMPANIES.

[Forte]

Originally Posted by Nemesis16

I said COLLEGE GRADUATES. You're showing me a skew of numbers that includes lower education individuals. Also, if you bothered to read what I stated, I adamantly said PRIVATE COMPANIES.

i'm showing you median household incomes, household = 2 or more in the dmv area. the data shows the percentage of educated households with bachelors degree. comparing both numbers, i don't see how you could make a statement and continue to put out false information that newly minted college graduates in the dc area are starting at 60k on average. it's just totally false and unsubstantiated. SOME might start of making 60k but the vast majority do not. what private companies are you referring to?

[KStreetQB]

I have no problems getting 4.0 GPA Georgetown students with the promise of a 30k salary. I find it hard to believe that we are attracting such great applicants if the norm is 60k for undergrads.

Certainly when I was looking at jobs here about five and a half years ago, 28-40k seemed to be the range. I never once ran across a 60k job being thrown at my BA. The only friends I had landing 60k jobs were engineers.