Fast Company 🧐 Are you middle class? Use this cost-of-living calculator and map to find out

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From: Fast Company Compass - Sunday Mar 20, 2022 09:01 pm
Fast Company Compass
 
Historically, the middle class was defined by having a steady, salaried job with benefits that could provide three square meals to feed a family and put a decent roof over their heads. But in the past decade, that concept has eroded rapidly, as the cost of living outpaces what people actually earn—and the pandemic only exacerbated that. People are giving up on the American Dream, in part because of the housing crisis and remote work that pays based on geography (read: less if you live in rural areas). Yet, COVID hasn’t totally decimated the middle class. More companies—and now states—are implementing salary transparency. Analysts suggest that this may help eliminate the gender-wage gap, which is expected to grow as women who lost jobs return to work.
—Lydia Dishman, @LydiaBreakfast
 
housing crisis
The middle class is being crushed by the housing crisis—and a solution is hiding in plain sight

Vacant lots in Chicago are being turned into housing that the middle class can actually afford.
READ MORE
 
cost of living
Are you middle class? Use this cost-of-living calculator and map to find out

The Economic Policy Institute has two tools that can help you see how far your money goes in your area and elsewhere in the country.
READ MORE
 
redefining middle class
We need to define America’s new middle class

Katica Roy of Pipeline Equity explains how redefining America’s middle class can improve our economy and create equity for all.
READ MORE
 
 
 
 
How a solar storm could knock out the power grid and the internet

With the ever-growing dependency on electricity and technology, any disruption could put people at risk and lead to trillions of dollars of monetary loss.
READ MORE
 
 
 
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today's quiz
How much do women earn dollar-for-dollar compared to their male counterparts?

Scroll down for the answer. 
 
Fast Company Poll
Is the middle class okay? Half of Americans don’t think so

According to a new Harris Poll conducted for Fast Company, 60% describe their household as “middle class,” but many are worried the definition is changing.
READ MORE
 
Salary transparency
What NYC’s new salary transparency law will mean for you

Even if you don’t live in New York City, this law is part of a larger trend toward pay transparency, experts say.
READ MORE
 
equal pay
Workers deserve equal pay for equal work, regardless of their geographic location

The CEO of Pipeline Equity says her workforce is 100% remote and spans six time zones. She’s committed to paying what the job is worth, regardless of what the cost of living is where the employees are located.
READ MORE
 
gender pay gap
Equal Pay Day 2022: The gender pay gap may get bigger as women return to work after COVID

The gap has narrowed by 2 cents since 2015, but it may get larger as women were disproportionately impacted by pandemic job losses.
READ MORE
 
economic impact of covid-19
The pandemic hasn’t killed the middle class—yet

Many people feared the pandemic would upend the middle class. But the economic recovery has been stronger than anticipated.
READ MORE
 
today's quiz: Answer
How much do women earn dollar-for-dollar compared to their male counterparts?
According to a new report from PayScale—released on Equal Pay Day—women are currently earning 82 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts based on uncontrolled data. Read more on the findings here.
 
 
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