• Flashoflight@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    Someone please correct me if I’m wrong because I have trouble understanding this. But someone told me the other day that I’m the height of the Great Depression,1931(?), that the average American was making 88k in todays dollar.

    Today the average American is making 33k. Is this true?

    If this is true that would totally explain the amount of mental illness on top of climate change concerns. If it is true I don’t know why more people wouldn’t be talking about it

    • retrieval4558@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      1 year ago

      A lot of those claims are based on tax return numbers, which radically overestimate the average salary back then because only the richest people actually filed taxes during that time.

      Don’t get me wrong, we’re not in a good place, but it’s not peak great depression bad.

        • Krauerking@lemy.lol
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          I dunno. Seeing quasi hoovervilles popping up with communities of homeless people living in tents and I don’t even live in California. We are like 80% of the way to great depression but there is just more large scale manufacturing of food and entertainment these days

    • SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      As far as a percentage of your annual income goes, during the Great Depression houses were cheaper than they are today.

      Shit, buying a house then was cheaper than RENTING today.

    • sadreality@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      Can’t comment on 88K figure

      But for current times… 33k is a bit to low. I think official stats is that wage is 39K for all working adults. and closer to 50k for full time working adults. these are median, not averages. ie 50% makes less, 50% make more.