The Income Paradox Survey

JD_co

https://theharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Income-Paradox-Survey-November-2025.pdf

Top Highlights
INCOME PARADOX SURVEY
• The top 10% are struggling too: Earning $200k, the threshold for the top 10% of U.S. earners, no longer guarantees stability. Nearly 1 in 3 six-figure earners say they’re stretched, struggling, or drowning financially, proof that comfort has become elusive even for high-income Americans.

• Six figures is survival, not success: 64% of six-figure earners say six figures is no longer a sign of wealth but survival mode — a paycheck that covers costs, not comfort. The benchmark of success has become the bare minimum to keep up.

• The American Dream feels out of reach: More than half of six-figure earners say the Dream no longer feels attainable, revealing a generation of professionals who have achieved everything on paper but feel they’re standing on financial quicksand.

• Where luxury used to live, the basics now move in: Groceries, housing, and healthcare are the top expenses draining even the top 10%. Vacations, savings, and wellness — once staples of comfort — have quietly slipped into the “nice-to-have” category.

• The illusion of wealth is exhausting: Many top earners say people assume they can afford it all, yet behind the image of success are quiet sacrifices: skipped purchases, delayed plans, and a fragile sense of security.

• Credit cards as life rafts: Three-quarters of six-figure earners have used a credit card in the past three months because they ran out of cash, not to collect points. For many, plastic has become the bridge between paychecks.

• Affluence, paid in installments: BNPL use is highest among $200k+ households — the top 10% now financing everyday life, from groceries to gas, in ways once reserved for those just getting by.

• The new middle class begins where old wealth used to end: Six-figure earners now define financial comfort at $200k+, and more than half say they’d need double their current income to finally feel secure. The top 10% are quietly
struggling — so what happens to the other 90%?

Old_Joe

I'm not surprised.

DrVenture

It is hard to know what to make of this. People typically being so inept at living within their means. Plus, age has a lot to do with it. Making $200K, with a paid off house and paid for autos, kids done with college, is far different from just starting out.

Still, I have to imagine that this has more to do with money management than actual cost-of-living. The exception being maybe NYC or SF or LA.

Observant1

DrVenture said:

Still, I have to imagine that this has more to do with money management than actual cost-of-living.
The exception being maybe NYC or SF or LA.

I read the top highlights posted in the OP but haven't read the entire article.
I have the same thoughts regarding those earning ≥ $200K.

Crash

DrVenture said:

It is hard to know what to make of this. People typically being so inept at living within their means. Plus, age has a lot to do with it. Making $200K, with a paid off house and paid for autos, kids done with college, is far different from just starting out.

Still, I have to imagine that this has more to do with money management than actual cost-of-living. The exception being maybe NYC or SF or LA.

I'm thinking the same thing.

Mark

I agree as well. I would like to take a look at their monthly spending reports before getting all judgmental but these are likely the same folks who say I should make my own coffee, pack a lunch, eat at home, not have pets, repair my old vehicle etc., or just do without.

To be fair I have no idea how a $100K or $200K annual income breaks out into a bi-weekly or monthly paycheck after taxes. Also most of the folks I know at these income levels also receive a good number of employer benefits -healthcare, car, gas card, credit card for expenses, stuff like that.

JD_co

The benchmark of success has become the bare minimum to keep up.

I think inflation is creeping into the American psyche. Our dollars aren't going nearly as far as they used to. Lack of confidence in the regime makes us skittish.

Insurance (home, flood, auto, HEALTH) increases loom large. Each year premiums jump up 10%. Health insurance is a biggie right now.

If you have kids, forgettabout it. Childcare? Ooof. We don't feel that in the over 55 crowd, but others do.

And then yes, it also comes down to location (expensive metro areas vs. more reasonable burbs) and the ability to budget.