- Where Social Security Benefits Are Highest and Lowest Relative to Local Housing Costs – 2023 Edition
Social Security plays a critical role in the retirement plans of millions of Americans each year. Average annual Social Security benefits reached $21,152 in 2021, according to the Census Bureau. While higher Social Security is good news for retirees on the surface, median housing costs also continued to climb, jumping 7.6%. Keeping these figures in… read more…
- Fastest-Growing Jobs for College Grads – 2023 Edition
The U.S. labor market remained strong in 2022, adding another 223,000 jobs in December. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the job market may cool off in years to come, projecting that total employment will grow only 0.5%… read more…
- Best Places to Work in Manufacturing – 2022 Edition
Local manufacturing can provide high wage jobs, be essential for innovation, help reduce the national trade deficit and contribute to environmental sustainability, according to The Brookings Institute. However, it’s no secret that U.S. manufacturing jobs have been shrinking over the… read more…
- High-Paying Jobs That Are Expected to Grow Over the Next Decade – 2022 Edition
Many people looking for a new job are rethinking their priorities. In fact, from April 2020 to June 2021, the demand for flexible work arrangements grew at a faster pace than any other work priority, according to LinkedIn’s Talent Drivers… read more…
- Best-Paying Places for Nurses – 2022 Edition
Demand for nurses surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for those willing to travel, the field became more lucrative: traveling nurses earn roughly two to three times more per hour than those in traditional hospital-staffing positions. Yet as healthcare across… read more…
- This Chart Shows You How Many Years an Extra $100K Buys You in Retirement
Will I outlive my retirement savings? This question dogs many retirement savers who view their accounts, often far shy of $1 million, with dread and fear. After all, aspiring retirees have to plan for longer lifespans, potentially steep medical costs… read more…
- Best Places to Be a Teacher – 2022 Edition
Teachers play an important role in enriching the minds of the next generation. And though the work itself may be rewarding, the pay often isn’t. Education jobs consistently fail to keep pace with inflation and are among the least financially-rewarding… read more…
- Best Places for Career Opportunities – 2022 Edition
Despite rising inflation and recent stock market instability, it’s still a job seeker’s market. There are roughly 11 million job openings available nationwide as of May 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For the same month, there were 6.5 million hires. Data from June 2022 shows a 4% increase in the percentage… read more…
- Income Thresholds to Be a Top Earner in America’s Largest Cities – 2022 Edition
The median household income is about $65,000, according to the most recent Census Bureau data. And while this can give a sense for what a typical American family is earning, income quintiles can shed light on the disparity between the top and bottom earners. In fact, the minimum threshold to be among the top 20%… read more…
- Salary Needed to Afford Home Payments in the 15 Largest U.S. Cities – 2022 Edition
Housing costs for new homeowners are at an all-time high with double digit home price increases over a one-year period since 2021. However, median household income has not kept pace, decreasing by 2.9% over a similar one-year period. Affording monthly home payments is challenging in today’s economy, especially when considering the non-mortgage debt that many… read more…
- Best Places to Live on a $65,000 Salary – 2022 Edition
As of April 2022, the 12-month inflation rate is 8.3% and the highest it has been in over 20 years. Among other things, this has translated to a higher cost of living for many Americans. According to a report from the Capital One Insights Center, only 18% of consumers said their wages kept up with the… read more…
- Cities With the Most Female Six-Figure Earners – 2022 Edition
Many Americans agree that amid rising prices and economic uncertainty today, it takes a six-figure salary to get by. However, women continue to be underrepresented in higher-paying jobs. According to 2020 Census data, women make up less than 30% of six-figure earners in the U.S. And while this figure marks progress from a decade prior… read more…
- Where Retirees Rely Most (and Least) on Social Security – 2022 Edition
Retirement can often be daunting because it means a shift from traditional income to a reliance on savings, investments and government programs such as Social Security. However, for most Americans, the government safety net is not enough to live on. While the Social Security program in 2022 has seen the largest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase… read more…
- Salary Needed to Live Comfortably in the 25 Largest Metro Areas – 2022 Study
In a 2021 modern wealth survey, Americans told Charles Schwab that they need an average net worth of $934,000 to be financially comfortable. Another survey by Personal Capital says that Americans believe that they need to save an average of $516,000 to maintain financial health. The huge difference in these figures indicates that financial comfort… read more…
- States With the Largest Increases in Million-Dollar Earners – 2022 Edition
The IRS says that the number of million-dollar taxpayers has gone up in five years. In 2014, there were 410,110 taxpayers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $1 million or more, filing 0.28% of tax returns. In 2019, there were 554,340 million-dollar earners, filing 0.35% of tax returns. Keeping this in mind, SmartAsset took… read more…
- Fastest-Growing STEM Jobs in the U.S. – 2022 Edition
Over the next 10 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects there to be 821,300 new openings for STEM jobs, according to recent estimates. This represents a roughly 9% increase in the number of STEM jobs in the U.S. However, not all STEM jobs are projected to grow at the same rate. In this study,… read more…
- Cities With the Highest and Lowest Real Minimum Wage – 2022 Study
As federal efforts to increase the minimum wage have stalled, many states and cities are paving the way to pay workers more than $7.25 an hour. On January 1, 2022, a total of 20 states raised their minimum wage, with the largest increases taking place in Virginia (from $9.50 to $11) and Delaware (from $9.25… read more…
- Best Jobs That Don’t Require a Bachelor’s Degree – 2022 Study
In 2019, the Census Bureau reported that just 32% of the population ages 25 and older has a bachelor’s degree. With 216.1 million people aged 25 and older in the United States, that leaves 147 million without a college degree. Keeping this in mind, SmartAsset identified the jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. To… read more…
- Where Social Security Benefits Are Highest and Lowest Relative to Local Housing Costs – 2022 Study
Social Security benefits and housing expenses are two of the most important elements of a successful financial plan in retirement. While Social Security is the primary source of income for many retirees, housing can be their biggest monthly expense. According to Census Bureau data, the average Social Security beneficiary collects $19,792 per year. That’s 1.5-times more than… read more…
- What It Takes to Be in the 1% By State – 2022 Study
An American family needs an income of $597,815 to be considered in the top 1% of earners nationwide. This, however, varies from state to state. In Connecticut, a family needs almost $900,000 in annual income to be in the top 1% of earners in their state, whereas a family in the top 1% of West… read more…
- Which Workers Should Expect an End-of-Year or Holiday Bonus? – 2021 Study
As the holidays approach, some workers may look forward to a bump in their paychecks with employers paying out bonuses. Across the many different types of bonuses allotted to workers (i.e. referrals, cash profit-sharing, etc.), data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that end-of-year bonuses – which are generally determined by hard work… read more…
- Best Places to Work in Manufacturing – 2021 Edition
It’s no secret that manufacturing isn’t the economic force it once was in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that 7.5 million manufacturing jobs have been lost since the peak in 1969. A variety of factors account for this, notably companies moving manufacturing to other countries where labor costs are significantly… read more…
- This Chart Shows Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Claim Social Security
Your health status, anticipated longevity and retirement cash needs all factor into when it makes sense to claim Social Security. Of course, you’re eligible to start taking Social Security at 62. But the longer you wait, the higher your monthly benefit will be, and conventional wisdom says that you should hold out as long as… read more…
- Best-Paying Places for Nurses – 2021 Study
An increasing number of nurses are trading in traditional hospital-staffing positions for higher-paying temporary jobs with traveling nurse agencies. The difference in pay is often significant. The Associated Press reported in September 2021 that nurses working for traveling nurse agencies make $70 to $90 per hour on average, which is two to three times higher… read more…
- Places Where Residents Are Investing More – 2021 Edition
While the COVID-19 pandemic hit millions of Americans in their wallets, it also created a surge of new retail investors looking to capitalize on stock market volatility. A survey conducted by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that 57% of respondents opened a taxable investment… read more…