# What Percent Are You? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882 "2012-01-18T05:41:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/81 "2012-01-20T01:01:25Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Does Ikea carry them? I assure you, I have NO idea! šŸ˜‰ > [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Bottom 2%. In _Tennessee_. Damn. Jesus. Have you tried rooting around your couch for loose change? Maybe steal a hoboā€™s bindle? Thatā€™s got to be worth a couple of percent! ---
**Author:** ![Kalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@Kalea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalea)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/82 "2012-01-20T01:21:17Z")
Top 31% nationally, 42% locally. DINK, thoughā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/83 "2012-01-20T02:18:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Quadlings apparently have lower than average incomes. Itā€™s because weā€™re so short! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/84 "2012-01-20T03:08:48Z")
Top 15% nationally, top 10% for the nearest local metro area, top 6% outside metro area. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/85 "2012-01-20T03:53:40Z")
Top 1% nationally, top 2% locally (Chicago-Gary, which is a weird-ass way to construct a region, but whatever). ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/86 "2012-01-20T03:56:21Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > For those of you in the top say..30% what do you do for a living? Wife and I are both attorneys. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/87 "2012-01-20T04:41:51Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > We can afford things they canā€™t, despite their husbands having ā€œgood jobsā€ > > A lot of people really donā€™t get that you give up something to get something, at least most of the time. That someone else can do something they canā€™t is ā€œunfairā€ even when their choice drove their situation. This is true. Yes, my wife and I have a very comfortable income, but we also chose not to have children, which certainly impacted our desire and ability to extend our academic pursuits well into our 20s and achieve advanced degrees, as well as to spend more time focusing on nurturing our careers. So it was somewhat of a tradeoff. Like you said: choices. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/88 "2012-01-20T05:03:13Z")
We are in the top 15% percent, according to US standards. My boyfriend and I both teach English in Korea. I just inputted our combined income in USD without adjusting for anything in particular. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/89 "2012-01-20T07:06:36Z")
Iā€™m stunned. I comfortably work part time at a fairly cushy job (though donā€™t have healthcare despite working in a hospital [?]) I make enough to pay the rent ($875/month for an about 800 sq/foot apt) and have enough leftover to travel, eat out, and sustain a drinking problem. This while adding to both savings and a retirement account. (Though to be fair, I could only be able to be retired a couple years before having to off myself.) In my region Iā€™m 24%. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/90 "2012-01-21T06:52:51Z")
If I were married, and my husband made about the same as me, Iā€™d be in the top 21% Dang, I donā€™t need a better job, I need a husband! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/91 "2012-01-21T22:15:21Z")
17%. Unfortunately, I do live in San Francisco, where I fall to the mid-thirties. If I were still married and living in Napa county, weā€™d be top 4%, though. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/92 "2012-01-21T23:31:01Z")
Top 2% both nationally and locally. Husband owns a business that has grown from 6 partners to almost 100 employees in the last six years. I am an attorney, but my government worker salary is a drop in the bucketā€“I work for benefits and pension, mainly. And the fact that I love my job. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/93 "2012-01-22T00:48:12Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > If I were married, and my husband made about the same as me, Iā€™d be in the top 21% > > Dang, I donā€™t need a better job, I need a husband! šŸ˜ƒ I think you can get them at WalMart šŸ™‚ Its kind of stunning though, isnā€™t it. The difference two incomes tends to make. Particularly when you start thinking in terms of ā€œprofessionalā€ incomes. There was a reason DINKs was a target demographic. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/94 "2012-01-22T01:46:28Z")
Top 4% if we go back to Reno on present salaryā€¦but when we go back to Reno/Carson City weā€™ll be unemployed:) ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/95 "2012-01-22T02:02:09Z")
shouldnā€™t the household income be divided by the number of people in the household? top 25 %, in Tennessee, Registered Nurse ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/96 "2012-01-22T02:25:43Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > shouldnā€™t the household income be divided by the number of people in the household? > > top 25 %, in Tennessee, Registered Nurse I dunno, the OP just said household percentage. It seems that most of the top percentage folks are in professions that require a degree of some sort (that was the main reason for my question of what people do). Not to hijack, but it would be interesting to see what peopleā€™s percentages were if they were on their own. I suspect that, due to their education, it wouldnā€™t be too different than what they are now, since Iā€™m guessing that like educated and employed people are more likely to be married to each other. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/97 "2012-01-22T02:45:26Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > I dunno, the OP just said household percentage. > > It seems that most of the top percentage folks are in professions that require a degree of some sort (that was the main reason for my question of what people do). Not to hijack, but it would be interesting to see what peopleā€™s percentages were if they were on their own. > > I suspect that, due to their education, it wouldnā€™t be too different than what they are now, since Iā€™m guessing that like educated and employed people are more likely to be married to each other. I am on my own. one person, one income. If my ex was still around Iā€™d be in the top 6% for Tennessee, top 16% for US. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/98 "2012-01-22T04:08:20Z")
But they donā€™t take household size into account. We make $82,000 a year. This would be wealthy for a single person, comfortable for a couple, but trying to raise 6 on it gets difficult. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/99 "2012-01-22T22:44:20Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > But they donā€™t take household size into account. We make $82,000 a year. This would be wealthy for a single person, comfortable for a couple, but trying to raise 6 on it gets difficult. Excellent point. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882/100 "2012-01-22T22:53:17Z")
Top 39% locally, bottom 43% for the US as a whole. Woo hoo rural Mississippi. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-are-you/609882.md?page=6)