The standard of living in the United States is one of the top 20 in the world by the standards economists use as measures of standards of living. Per capita income is high but also less evenly distributed than in most other developed countries; as a result, the United States fares particularly well in measures of average material well being that do not place weight on equality aspects.
On comprehensive measures such as the UN Human Development Index the United States is always in the top twenty, currently ranking 4th. On the Human Poverty Index the United States ranked 17th, one rank below the United Kingdom and one rank above Ireland.[4] On the Economist's quality-of-life index the United States ranked 13th, in between Finland and Canada, scoring 7.6 out of a possible 10. The highest given score of 8.3 was applied to Ireland. This particular index takes into account a variety of socio-economic variables including GDP per capita, life expectancy, political stability, family life, community life, gender equality, and job security.[5] The homeownership rate is relatively high compared to other post-industrial nations. In 2005, 69% of Americans resided in their own homes, roughly the same percentage as in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Israel and Canada.[6][7][8] Residents of the United States also enjoy a high access to consumer goods. Americans enjoy more cars and radios per capita than any other nation[9] and more televisions and personal computers per capita than any other large nation.[10][11]
As reported by the OECD in 1980, the American standard of living was the highest among the industrial countries. Out of the 85 million households in the United States, 64% owned their own living quarters, 55% had at least two TV sets, and 51% had more than one vehicle. By 1985, the US per capita income was $11,727, one of the highest among industrialized countries. By the mid-Eighties, 98% of all households had a telephone service, 77% a washing machine, 45% a freezer, and 43% a dishwasher.[12]
The median income is $43,318 per household ($26,000 per household member)[1] with 42% of households having two income earners.[13] Meanwhile, the median income of the average American age 25+ was roughly $32,000[2] ($39,000 if only counting those employed full-time between the ages of 25 to 64) in 2005.[3] According to the CIA the gini index which measures income inequality (the higher the less equal the income distribution) was clocked at 45.0 in 2005,[14] compared to 32.0 in the European Union[15] and 28.3 in Germany.[16] |The US has... a per capita GDP [PPP] of $42,000... The [recent] onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market"... Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households... The rise in GDP in 2004 and 2005 was undergirded by substantial gains in labor productivity... Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. -CIA factbook on the US economy, 2005.[14]
The United States has one of the widest rich-poor gaps of any high-income nation today, and that gap continues to grow.[17] In recent times, some prominent economists including Alan Greenspan have warned that the widening rich-poor gap in the U.S. population is a problem that could undermine and destabilize the country's economy and standard of living stating that "The income gap between the rich and the rest of the US population has become so wide, and is growing so fast, that it might eventually threaten the stability of democratic capitalism itself".[18]
| Country | Austria | Belgium | Denmark | France | Ireland | Norway | Spain | Portugal | UK | United States | Israel | Canada | Russia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership rate[6] | 56% | 71% | 51% | 55% | 42% | 77% | 77% | 85% | 64% | 69% | 69% | 82% | 72% |
Contents |
| Index | Rank |
|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 4th out of 172 |
| GDP (PPP) per capita | 7th out of 183 |
| GDP (nominal) per capita | 9th out of 183 |
| Quality-of-life Index | 13th out of 111 |
| Human Poverty Index | 17th out of 19 |
Median household income for other countries is shown in the table below. The data for each country has been converted to US dollars using Purchasing Power Parity (obtained from the OECD).[19]
| Country or region | Median household income national currency units | Year | PPP rate (OECD) | Median household income (PPP) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland[20] | (gross) 109,236 CHF, $100,387 | 2008 | 1.68375 | $64,877 | |
| US | Connecticut[21] | 66,452 USD | 2010 | 1.00 | $66,452 |
| US | California[21] | 54,459 USD | 2010 | 1.00 | $54,549 |
| Canada[22] | 68,410 CAD | 2009 | 1.254989 | $54,510 | |
| United States[21] | 49,445 USD | 2010 | 1.00 | $49,445 | |
| Switzerland[20] | (after taxes and health insurance) 77,580 CHF, $71,296 | 2008 | 1.640256 | $47,297 | |
| Australia[23] | 66,890 AUD | 2007/2008 | 1.5162805 | $44,115 | |
| New Zealand[24] | 63,867 NZD | 2008/2009 | 1.5881895 | $40,214 | |
| United Kingdom[25] | 24,700 GBP | 2004 | 0.632 | $39,000 | |
| Israel[26] | 107,820 ILS | 2006 | 2.90 | $37,000 | |
| US | Mississippi[21] | 35,076 USD | 2009 | 1.00 | $35,076 |
| Ireland | 35,410 EUR | 2005 | 1.02 | $35,000 | |
| UK | Scotland[27] | 21,892 GBP | 2005 | 0.649 | $34,000 |
| South Korea[28] | 26,640,000 KRW | 2009 | 804.718137 | $33,105 | |
| Hong Kong[29] | 186,000 HKD | 2005 | 5.96 | $31,000 | |
| Singapore[30] | 45,960 SGD | 2005 | 1.55 | $30,000 | |
Standard of living in the United States varies considerably with socio-economic status. The table below gives a summarization of prominent academic theories on the socio-economic stratification of the United States:
| Academic Class Models | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Gilbert, 2002 | William Thompson & Joseph Hickey, 2005 | Leonard Beeghley, 2004 | |||
| Class | Typical characteristics | Class | Typical characteristics | Class | Typical characteristics |
| Capitalist class (1%) | Top-level executives, high-rung politicians, heirs. Ivy League education common. | Upper class (1%) | Top-level executives, celebrities, heirs; income of $500,000+ common. Ivy league education common. | The super-rich (0.9%) | Multi-millionaires whose incomes commonly exceed $350,000; includes celebrities and powerful executives/politicians. Ivy League education common. |
| Upper middle class[1] (15%) | Highly-educated (often with graduate degrees), most commonly salaried, professionals and middle management with large work autonomy. | Upper middle class[1] (15%) | Highly-educated (often with graduate degrees) professionals & managers with household incomes varying from the high 5-figure range to commonly above $100,000. | The Rich (5%) | Households with net worth of $1 million or more; largely in the form of home equity. Generally have college degrees. |
| Middle class (plurality/ majority?; ca. 46%) |
College-educated workers with considerably higher-than-average incomes and compensation; a man making $57,000 and a woman making $40,000 may be typical. | ||||
| Lower middle class (30%) | Semi-professionals and craftsmen with a roughly average standard of living. Most have some college education and are white-collar. | Lower middle class (32%) | Semi-professionals and craftsman with some work autonomy; household incomes commonly range from $35,000 to $75,000. Typically, some college education. | ||
| Working class (30%) | Clerical and most blue-collar workers whose work is highly routinized. Standard of living varies depending on number of income earners, but is commonly just adequate. High school education. | ||||
| Working class (32%) | Clerical, pink- and blue-collar workers with often low job security; common household incomes range from $16,000 to $30,000. High school education. | Working class (ca. 40% - 45%) |
Blue-collar workers and those whose jobs are highly routinized with low economic security; a man making $40,000 and a woman making $26,000 may be typical. High school education. | ||
| Working poor (13%) | Service, low-rung clerical and some blue-collar workers. High economic insecurity and risk of poverty. Some high school education. | ||||
| Lower class (ca. 14% - 20%) | Those who occupy poorly-paid positions or rely on government transfers. Some high school education. | ||||
| Underclass (12%) | Those with limited or no participation in the labor force. Reliant on government transfers. Some high school education. | The poor (ca. 12%) | Those living below the poverty line with limited to no participation in the labor force; a household income of $18,000 may be typical. Some high school education. | ||
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