Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > New York > Long Island
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-02-2015, 06:11 PM
 
6,922 posts, read 6,979,930 times
Reputation: 4335

Advertisements

I heard on the radio today that in order to live a middle class lifestyle in Suffolk County, you need an annual income of $88,000, and in order to live a middle class lifestyle in Nassau County, you need an annual income of $98,000. Based on that, I can live a middle class lifestyle in Suffolk County but not in Nassau County.

My question is: does anybody know how they define "middle class lifestyle"? Everybody on this forum seems to have a different definition, so I'm just wondering if there is any official definition.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-02-2015, 06:55 PM
 
1,027 posts, read 2,499,325 times
Reputation: 633
Quote:
Originally Posted by mitsguy2001 View Post
I heard on the radio today that in order to live a middle class lifestyle in Suffolk County, you need an annual income of $88,000, and in order to live a middle class lifestyle in Nassau County, you need an annual income of $98,000. Based on that, I can live a middle class lifestyle in Suffolk County but not in Nassau County.

My question is: does anybody know how they define "middle class lifestyle"? Everybody on this forum seems to have a different definition, so I'm just wondering if there is any official definition.
Is that per person if you're married? My definition of middle class for a family (not lower/not upper/middle middle class)

Own a home where you can afford the mortgage
Can pay your utilities no issues
Can pay for auto repairs no issues and/or be in the position to finance a new vehicle when needed
Can pay for auto gasoline no worries
Can pay for kids' extracurricular activities no worries
Have savings that is growing
Can send your children to college
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-02-2015, 07:18 PM
 
2,045 posts, read 1,874,026 times
Reputation: 1646
Quote:
Originally Posted by iluvmycuties View Post
Is that per person if you're married? My definition of middle class for a family (not lower/not upper/middle middle class)

Own a home where you can afford the mortgage
Can pay your utilities no issues
Can pay for auto repairs no issues and/or be in the position to finance a new vehicle when needed
Can pay for auto gasoline no worries
Can pay for kids' extracurricular activities no worries
Have savings that is growing
Can send your children to college
For this plus having a fun life a single earner for a family of 4 has to make 150k minimum.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-02-2015, 07:18 PM
 
1,712 posts, read 2,883,251 times
Reputation: 3119
As for what kind of lifestyle a middle income household has, I would say:
- Home in decent/good condition
- Living in decent/good/great school district (if you have kids)
- At least 1/yr expenses saved up
- Reliable transportation



As for what income defines a middle class, that's IMPOSSIBLE one. Anyone who gives you a straight number is instantly WRONG off the bat!

A family with 2 kids who live in a small 3bdr ranch in Deer Park paying $9k annual taxes will need a much lower income to have a middle class lifestyle THAN a family with 4 kids living in 6bdr house w/$21k annual taxes in Jericho.

A young childless couple living in a small cheap condo in Freeport would need a much lower income to be middle class THAN a household in Dix Hills with 6 children (2 of whom being special needs)

Last edited by MemoryMaker; 04-02-2015 at 07:32 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-02-2015, 07:24 PM
 
1,027 posts, read 2,499,325 times
Reputation: 633
Quote:
Originally Posted by long isle View Post
For this plus having a fun life a single earner for a family of 4 has to make 150k minimum.
Yes, I agree. I think middle class income for a family is about $150k.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-02-2015, 07:53 PM
 
Location: under the beautiful Carolina blue
22,615 posts, read 36,507,081 times
Reputation: 19799
It's a good question though. I saw this article in Newsday. But it doesn't define what they mean by "middle class".
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-02-2015, 07:57 PM
 
1,027 posts, read 2,499,325 times
Reputation: 633
Quote:
Originally Posted by MemoryMaker View Post
As for what kind of lifestyle a middle income household has, I would say:
- Home in decent/good condition
- Living in decent/good/great school district (if you have kids)
- At least 1/yr expenses saved up
- Reliable transportation



As for what income defines a middle class, that's IMPOSSIBLE one. Anyone who gives you a straight number is instantly WRONG off the bat!

A family with 2 kids who live in a small 3bdr ranch in Deer Park paying $9k annual taxes will need a much lower income to have a middle class lifestyle THAN a family with 4 kids living in 6bdr house w/$21k annual taxes in Jericho.

A young childless couple living in a small cheap condo in Freeport would need a much lower income to be middle class THAN a household in Dix Hills with 6 children (2 of whom being special needs)
Very good point. I think that's where we need the definition of middle class defined. Because a new car for one family is a Kia, and another a Mercedes.

So I think the instances you pointed out tend to point to lower middle class and upper middle class examples.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-02-2015, 09:39 PM
 
622 posts, read 847,505 times
Reputation: 501
Between property taxes, homeowners' premiums, car insurance, utilities and all of those lovely niceties that make the frenetic life on LI enjoyable, I think you need raise the bar a bit. I don't believe $150k will cut it in most areas of Wrong Island.

Frankly, I don't know how so many people can at least give the appearance of wealth and affluence in such a brutally expensive environment. One thing's for sure, we sure don't get a lot for all of the energy and money expended.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-02-2015, 10:06 PM
 
Location: Long Island
9,531 posts, read 15,789,376 times
Reputation: 5948
The mortgage is a different amount for everyone. Everything comes down to monthly expenses, so what you paid as down payment is a huge factor. Say, you put down 150k on a 350k home - your monthly with a 3.5% 30-year loan is < $2k (after taxes) whereas many people are closer to $3k and above.

You can do fine with $120k and live a middle class family lifestyle just fine, but definitely above $100k here to afford kids too. Daycare for 2 was as much as a 2nd mortgage.

Last edited by ovi8; 04-02-2015 at 10:18 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-02-2015, 10:06 PM
 
1,963 posts, read 4,229,495 times
Reputation: 1142
Depending on your age and when you purchased your home could be a huge factor too. We purchased our house almost 11 years ago, much more (2x the price in some cases) than some of my neighbors that bought closer to 20 years ago but not as much as people that bought 7-8 years ago. I would think this could be a big swing in how much your monthly nut is which would determine where you fall in the class rankings.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > New York > Long Island

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top