Income brackets: what is prception of low/middle high

Cleaver

MoaningMyrtle wrote: »

Interesting thread, my perception would be:

Low - under £12,000
Mid - over £30,000
High - over £50,000

These are all for one person, regardless of age, working full-time.

I know what you mean, but if you're a 20 year old and you earn 30k I would consider you a 'high' earner. Especially if you still live at home with the folks!

Mr_Matey

fc123 wrote: »

From a london perspective I would say;

150k+ HIGH

70k MEDIUM.

Under 30k LOW.

I disagree with that. According to these government statistics the 90th percentile for London is 69,164 pounds, 30k is around 50%. So you're saying 50% are low earners and maybe 2% are high earners.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE_2008/2008_work_la.pdf

Is it possible you either know a lot of high earners or work in a lucritive industry and your view is therefore skewed?

Cleaver

MoaningMyrtle wrote: »

Interesting thread, my perception would be:

Low - under £12,000
Mid - over £30,000
High - over £50,000

These are all for one person, regardless of age, working full-time.

I know what you mean, but if you're a 20 year old and you earn 30k I would consider you a 'high' earner. Especially if you still live at home with the folks!

For the 12 months after Uni, at the age of 21, I came back home and worked as a waiter at a restaurant where the tips were pretty good. I was 'only' earning about £350 a week (although I was working a lot of hours), but a lot of it was cash tips (sorry Mr Taxman), I was living at home so paying very little rent and had pretty much no outgoings. It's bascially the richest I have ever felt in my life.

lostinrates

Its useful when people include a rough geographical area to their 'wages' .


Intresting its only GG and I who highlight the 'super earners' as a possibly distinct band.

SingleSue

SGE1 wrote: »

Not quite... up to 28k for the low earner; and from 49k for the high earner. Ie, those figures are respectively the top and bottom ends. I know it's semantics, but I came up with those figures pretty quickly, just to illustrate the concept. They also refer to people in full-time employment, I should have said.

And are you saying that aged 38, you're earning less than £14k?? If that's the case, according to my little theory, you're a low earner - isn't that what you would argue?

I am actually a no earner presently but would love to be an earner....except that the majority of jobs in this area (full time) are offering around the 15k mark (not that I would turn it down!).

Sorry, my posting was a little touch of humour/amazement at the figures. It would only be in my wildest dreams I could earn even 20k in this area.

fc123

Mr_Matey wrote: »

I disagree with that. According to these government statistics the 90th percentile for London is 69,164 pounds, 30k is around 50%. So you're saying 50% are low earners and maybe 2% are high earners.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE_2008/2008_work_la.pdf

Is it possible you either know a lot of high earners or work in a lucritive industry and your view is therefore skewed?

In SE London, I did know a lot of 'high earners' but they didn't live big flashy lives at all. However, they had 2 or 3 kids...and a house to pay for. It was one of the poorest boroughs.

I also knew a lot of no earners as, it was more beneficial not to work than take something low paid. OH has a family member with that mindset.
BTW I am saying what I know, not what I agree with.

In Brighton, I think I am currently the lowest earner I know in my social circle.;) But I am working hard to change that.....or they may slip down the earnings scale themselves.

Our salaries have always been up and down as S/Employed for over 20 years.

SingleSue

I quite like my no earner phrase, not sure if anyone else had used it before but I made it up as it sounded better than saying I claim benefits.

Cleaver

SingleSue wrote: »

I am actually a no earner presently but would love to be an earner....except that the majority of jobs in this area (full time) are offering around the 15k mark (not that I would turn it down!).

Sorry, my posting was a little touch of humour/amazement at the figures. It would only be in my wildest dreams I could earn even 20k in this area.

Where do you live Sue if you don't mind me asking?

Cat695

would you class yourself as a high earner if you was on 60k+ but mortgaged up to the hilt??

I'm sure they would feel the same as a low earner in the same position

Swans1912

Cleaver wrote: »

I know what you mean, but if you're a 20 year old and you earn 30k I would consider you a 'high' earner. Especially if you still live at home with the folks!

Mr iKennett
Age = 21
Wage = 26700

Mrs (to-be) iKennett
Age = 22
Wage = 26700

(Yes we are both on the same wage, same company :rolleyes:)

We don't work in or close to a 'major' city.

We live together in our own home.

Compared to my friends, of the same age, I would consider myself to be a high earner.

If I take age out of the picture - I consider myself to be a medium earner but only just!