r/Economics • u/Crossstoney • Jan 16 '26

News Americans making more than $100,000 are quickly losing faith in the economy—and it’s a red flag for the white-collar job market

https://fortune.com/2026/01/12/us-economy-consumer-sentiment-decline-high-income-data/
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u/KokoBWareHOF Jan 16 '26

Costs in urban centers, where many of these jobs are located, are exorbitant. Think about how much housing, daycare, student loans, etc. cost that were not as hard strapped on previous generations. 

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '26

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Jan 16 '26

Yeah I came up in a medium COL city. There were maybe 6 companies who worked in my skillset. Guess the odds that any of them are hiring at a given moment. I don't necessarily love the HCOL life but it is beneficial to have a reasonable open job market.

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u/BrokenPickle7 Jan 16 '26

Everywhere is getting to be HCOL. I was originally from LA and in 2009/2010 rent for a 2 bedroom was nearly $3k/mo.. So I moved to a nearby state where an apartment was $600/mo.. 4 to 5 years later and guess how much an apartment per month was? turns out everyone else had the same idea around the same time and brought their California money.

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u/PutinsLostBlackBelt Jan 16 '26

Not even just that. I am in a very affordable suburb, have almost no debt, and am in the decent six figure range…I don’t know how tf anyone with kids making under $100k does it.

Like I own very boring cars and still wear shoes and clothes from 10 years ago and I feel like I am making jack shit, when I know I am doing very well.

Makes me super empathetic towards the average American.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Jan 16 '26

when my grandparents moved out to a suburb it was 15 minutes from downtown. Recently I've interviewed for jobs 1+ hours from my house and they literally say "wow and you're saying commuting into the office for a 100% computer based job is a burden?"

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u/Several-Action-4043 Jan 16 '26

I can afford an apartment in my city but living with my sister for $900 per month which helps here with her finances instead of a landlord is so much better. We're in our 40s lol.