(NewsNation) — Increasing costs have left many Americans feeling financially vulnerable, and a new survey found that it would take a salary of roughly $233,000 a year for them to feel financially secure.
The Bankrate survey comes at a time when inflation has left many Americans in a precarious financial position. While Americans have seen their buying power rise by 21% over the past 20 years, costs have risen far more.
In that same time frame, college tuition costs have more than doubled and home prices have increased 40%. Inflation has also affected everyday expenses, with the prices of gas and groceries leaving people with less money to spare.
Even as people try to save money, most Americans said they couldn’t cover a $1,000 emergency and nearly a third of Americans have less than $100 in their savings account.
The $233,000 a year number is far more than most Americans make, with data from the Census Bureau showing the average full-time worker made $75,203 a year in 2021. If they would need $233,000 to feel financially secure, Americans said it would take about $483,000 a year to feel wealthy.
According to Bankrate, financial security varied with age, with 32% of Baby Boomers indicating they felt secure. Only 28% of millennials and 25% of Gen Z could say the same, with Gen X reporting the least financial security at just 19%.
But younger generations still have hope for the future. While 35% of boomers and 32% of Gen X said they did not expect to ever achieve financial security, that number dropped to 19% for millennials and 13% for Gen Z.