where are the middle class working???? (Tampa, Sarasota: real estate, 2013, rental)

[krh6609]

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? I moved here a year and a half ago and see only two income classes. The above average and the $ 10.00 hr folks. I have always been a tradesman and earned $ 25-55 per hour, but threw that out the door a few months into the stay. I was making $ 9.00 hr 20 years ago being a slacker, but here I see fairly qualified people making 10 to 12 and barely getting by. I own a rental here and it seems that all my tenants are extended family members combining to have a decent place to live. I live in a modest neighborhood and rarely hear of anyone making 30k+. So many people tell me that they make 1/2 of what they did before coming here. So, I'm confused....... I see a lot of nice neighborhoods and a lot of nice vehicles, but in a town of tons of service oriented jobs, what is producing the middle+ incomes? I'm not ripping on Sarasota at all. I'm just trying to figure out how to stay here instead of backtracking. Any thoughts?

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by krh6609

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? I moved here a year and a half ago and see only two income classes. The above average and the $ 10.00 hr folks. I have always been a tradesman and earned $ 25-55 per hour, but threw that out the door a few months into the stay. I was making $ 9.00 hr 20 years ago being a slacker, but here I see fairly qualified people making 10 to 12 and barely getting by. I own a rental here and it seems that all my tenants are extended family members combining to have a decent place to live. I live in a modest neighborhood and rarely hear of anyone making 30k+. So many people tell me that they make 1/2 of what they did before coming here. So, I'm confused....... I see a lot of nice neighborhoods and a lot of nice vehicles, but in a town of tons of service oriented jobs, what is producing the middle+ incomes? I'm not ripping on Sarasota at all. I'm just trying to figure out how to stay here instead of backtracking. Any thoughts?

Tons of middle class. Teachers, firefighters, nurses, lawyers, doctors, police officers, managers, IT people, etc.

The middle class is everywhere. FWIW I consider middle class $100.000 to about four hundred thousand depending upon the amount of people in the household.

It sounds like you live in a transient neighborhood if all your neighbors made double what they are making now elsewhere.
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[Cardiff by the Sea]

Here is a little quote on what some other people consider to be middle class (taken from article in USA Today)

Strictly speaking, the median, or middle, household income in the United States today is $50,054. That's easy. The hard part is figuring out how far above or below the middle someone's income can go and still be considered middle class. Plenty of smart people have taken a stab at that question. In the past few years, the "middle class" income range has been described as between $32,900 and $64,000 a year (a Pew Charitable Trusts study), between $50,800 and $122,000 (a U.S. Department of Commerce study), and between $20,600 and $102,000 (the U.S. Census Bureau's middle 60% of incomes).

KRh6609 I find your observation and question to be very interesting. Blue Herons post sort of validates your point in a way if to be middle class in Sarasota you have to have an income in the range she identifies.

I don't live in Sarasota so I really can't answer your question. Blue Herons list suggest that to be middle class in Sarasota you have to have a professional job. When visiting Sarasota, I met a lot of people who worked in banks and occupations related to real estate. I saw lots of medical facilities there. People must be employed by the colleges. Other than that, I have no clue. Here are the biggest employers for what that is worth.
Top Employers

I wonder if the issue you raise also reflects changes in our labor force nationally. Like the loss of manufacturing jobs everywhere. Also since the big recession it seems like those who kept there jobs are doing well and those who lost their jobs have taken a big drop and are really struggling. This economy seems to be a case of the haves and have nots in a way that we haven't seen before.

It sounds like there is an underlying question is what can you do to make the kind of income in Sarasota that you used to in your old location. If you are thinking of reinventing yourself, you might want to look at the government studies of occupational outlook.

Home : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

And if I am reading something into your post that is not there, just ignore this. I look forward to reading the other posts in response to your questions.

[beninfl]

McDonalds, $15/hr.

[Frida7]

I dont see how fifty grand can be considered middle class in 2013.

[gypsychic]

I disagree with Blue Herons about what she considers middle class; however these days the middle class as we knew it is definitely vanishing. I guess I would call all the service workers that Cardiff mentioned maybe "lower middle class." My husband is an architectural project manager and I would consider us only barely middle class - we live in a modest older 2 br home, and drive 10 year old vehicles. I would say there are a lot of people like us in Sarasota, my neighborhood of Whitfield Estates is filled with them (as well as millionaire retirees and snowbirds).

Remember Sarasota is a city that was established almost from the get-go as a retirement haven for the wealthy. It still primarily caters to that segment as well as people who vacation here. It never was a "professoinal" job mecca, and I don't believe it ever will be. Such is the case for a beautiful, scenic, resort type city.

Just so you know, my husband struggled for years to try to make a living as an architect here and just could not do it. Most of the architects we knew from those times had to "fold their tents." Hubby drives to downtown Tampa every day where he works for Hillsborough county to manage projects, and we are darn grateful for that job.

Hope this helps, OP.

[TamRE]

If you go to the Sarasota County Economic Development web site and click on workforce, it will give you the ages, types of employment, largest employers in the county, etc. Here is the link: Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, Florida

[Cardiff by the Sea]

The median income in Sarasota is lower than the US in general. In 2011, it was about $40,000 and I doubt it has increased much since then.

This low median supports the original posters point that a lot of people make less than they made in their old location.

[krh6609]

I ( the OP ) have heard that the business owners make the good money, but those working in it are making significantly less than they were, in the same position, prior to Florida. My concern is how to climb a ladder that doesn't exist? For example: Before Florida, I was in the floor covering trade. I could usually rely on an income of $50-$80k per year. Cost of living was very similar. This allowed me to open my own retail store and support the first year by installing on the side. Yet the same installation work here pays $ 25-$ 45K which doesn't allow much cushion for business development. Adding to the confusion is that everyone complains about the shoddy craftsmen here, but what do you expect from a guy willing to beat his body up over $ 12-$ 14 per hour? I guess I'm just facing the realities that , outside of " professional" employment, Florida has a lot of people who will work for lower pay. In my situation, extremely low.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Your post makes me wonder how things are for business owners-old vs new. Are there businesses, say in your line, floor coverings, that have been there a long time and have the reputation so everyone uses them? Do new businesses (that do good work) survive? Is Sarasota dominated, business wise, by people who have been there a long time?

If people are willing to work for low wages, it would seem it would be a good environment for owners. Are business expenses high there compared to other places? What are the barriers to starting a business there?