# What is considered a reasonable salary in CT?



## MrsPenelope (Jun 15, 2011)

Hi All

We are in the process of relocating to Connecticut (we are looking at Greenwich) from Kent in the UK.

I'm just wondering what would be considered a reasonable salary for a sole earner to bring up a family?

I know this is a very difficult question and probably one that has been asked many times before (and I'm sure one persons fortune is another's pocket change!) but I just want a rough idea. I have looked up on websites about median incomes but that is over such a broad area you don't know how accurate it is.

In the UK our median income (per individual) is about £24k - if you were up north (Newcastle etc.) you could probably bring up a family but in the South East you would be struggling.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Penny


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

US salary is based on production:>) It depends on industry, skill set, experience, some adjustments for geographic location. Basically what you bring to the table for the employer. Often fringe benefits which do not get charged directly to a position such as additional vacation, adjusting hire date for benefits (start 12/31 instead of 01/01 to have an additional year with a company on the books) ... are a considerable part of compensation.
As posted over and over - reasonable depends on individual needs and wants. Unless you advance professionally and financially or move with a US spouse - does relocation make sense?
Without information it is impossible to even make a halfway intelligent guess. I can tell you that moving from a finance/university town in Alabama with cost of living above Atlanta, GA to a 1500 household nest in Texas our cost of living went up 50%.


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## MrsPenelope (Jun 15, 2011)

Thanks Twostep.

I know it's a difficult question to ask and I am at the risk of sounding stupid but how else do you get a rough guesstimate?

I have done so much research on cost of everything from a weekly shop to the price of cars and houses. 

My husband's company is relocating us and he is just finalising the contract now.

From what we can tell it is a very generous offer. We have worked out state tax etc and we are taking 30% off to account for this. 

I totally understand that it is individual needs and requirements etc but surely for a working class person you know what is considered a higher salary? If I earned £50k in the UK I would be a higher paid worker but if I had huge debts and expenses I would struggle! I'd still know I was on a good salary though.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

MrsPenelope said:


> I totally understand that it is individual needs and requirements etc but surely for a working class person you know what is considered a higher salary? If I earned £50k in the UK I would be a higher paid worker but if I had huge debts and expenses I would struggle! I'd still know I was on a good salary though.


There is no position called "working class person". Again - compensation depends on individual factors and can be rather flexible even though most companies have perimeters attached to positions. Without information I cannot give you any answers or pull comp information off my 2010 data base. PM if you want to.

By choice I do not work right now but the average per capita income of our small town runs over 125k according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) So much for statistics and averages:>)

A bank teller makes from minimum wage to 50k+. Location, experience, demand and supply.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Take a look at the Wikipedia entry for Greenwich, CT Greenwich, Connecticut - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - it does define median salary, which could give you an idea.

Greenwich is a very upscale town, considered a "bedroom suburb" of NY City. You should count on considerably more than any median or average figure for the US as a whole. If your husband will be working in or near Greenwich, you'll save on commuting costs, to be sure. But in the US there is the whole "keeping up with the Joneses" phenomenon to consider.

Just for reference, I'm currently back in the US (from France) for a visit and I'm absolutely appalled at the prices for services most folks here consider "basic" (cell phone, Internet service, cable TV, etc.) as well as what people spend for "public" services we European folks expect to get in return for paying the taxes we do (health care, retirement, the need to save for the children's university education, etc.).

All that being said, Greenwich is a lovely town with a super reputation and if that "generous" offer is half way decent, I suspect you'll have a great time in the US.
Cheers,
Bev


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## MrsPenelope (Jun 15, 2011)

Thank you very much for your message Bev! 

My husband's office is located in Stamford so hopefully the commute should be relatively easy for him.

I did read up on Wikipedia but as the statistics were based on the 2000 census I didn't know how reliable it was. Saying that my husband will be earning a fair amount more than the $74,346 per capita income for Greenwich, taking into account inflation and as you say increase that figure more we might just about average out.

It's so nice to hear what you have to say about Greenwich. We are also looking at Darien and Westport. Any advice on either of those places would be welcome ;o)

It is so hard to get an idea of cost of living etc being hundreds of miles away, and, having never being to the States before I feel like I'm totally fumbling in the dark!!

Whereabouts are you visiting in the US? Saying about "keeping up with the Jones's"... Do people look down on you if you're driving an older model car etc?

Sorry, too many questions!!

Thanks again!!

Penny


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

MrsPenelope said:


> Thank you very much for your message Bev!
> 
> My husband's office is located in Stamford so hopefully the commute should be relatively easy for him.


About an hour one way.



MrsPenelope said:


> I did read up on Wikipedia but as the statistics were based on the 2000 census I didn't know how reliable it was. Saying that my husband will be earning a fair amount more than the $74,346 per capita income for Greenwich, taking into account inflation and as you say increase that figure more we might just about average out.


This is 2011! Cannot do more then give you the source of current info.



MrsPenelope said:


> It's so nice to hear what you have to say about Greenwich. We are also looking at Darien and Westport. Any advice on either of those places would be welcome ;o)


Focus on commuter train schedules.



MrsPenelope said:


> It is so hard to get an idea of cost of living etc being hundreds of miles away, and, having never being to the States before I feel like I'm totally fumbling in the dark!!


Remember - your residence determins which public school children go to. Post your questions on city-data.com where you will find locals who can give you real time answers.



MrsPenelope said:


> Whereabouts are you visiting in the US? Saying about "keeping up with the Jones's"... Do people look down on you if you're driving an older model car etc?


It depends on your neighborhood. 



MrsPenelope said:


> Sorry, too many questions!!


It is a different way of life. Especially when you get out of metropolitan areas of the NE. Some take to it. Others do not. Keep an open mind and try not to compare. Within days life in the UK will have been heaven. Rest assured it was not but your mind will play games with you. Explore, get out, discover. Enjoy this opportunity and make the best of it. Not all the tea in China could get me back to Europe! 

Thanks again!!

Penny[/QUOTE]


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I'm back in the Boston area, which is where I grew up. But we lived for a while near New Haven, CT and even back then, Greenwich and Stamford were some of the nicest towns in the state.

Probably moreso than anywhere in Europe, people in the US are defined (and sometimes define themselves) by what kind of car they drive. It may have changed a bit in the last few years, but the big joke when I was a kid was that when you said you were going out with someone, the big questions your parents always asked were, where does he live? what kind of car does his father drive?

As twostep says, the lifestyle in the US and particularly in the Northeast corridor (from Washington DC up to Boston) is very different from life in the UK or anywhere in Europe. Once you get used to it, you'll have a great time, but chances are you'll have your up and down days as you discover all the peculiarities of that part of the world.
Cheers,
Bev


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

Bevdeforges said:


> ...Probably moreso than anywhere in Europe, people in the US are defined (and sometimes define themselves) by what kind of car they drive. It may have changed a bit in the last few years, but the big joke when I was a kid was that when you said you were going out with someone, the big questions your parents always asked were, where does he live? what kind of car does his father drive?
> 
> As twostep says, the lifestyle in the US and particularly in the Northeast corridor (from Washington DC up to Boston) is very different from life in the UK or anywhere in Europe. Once you get used to it, you'll have a great time, but chances are you'll have your up and down days as you discover all the peculiarities of that part of the world.
> Cheers,
> Bev


I have lived all over the US since 1959 and have never seen this class distinction based on what car you drive.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

JohnSoCal said:


> I have lived all over the US since 1959 and have never seen this class distinction based on what car you drive.


There was even a book (at least one) put out on the subject. Admittedly it was intended to be funny - but it tapped into a very real vein. I'd estimate the book came out in the late 1980's or so.
Cheers,
Bev


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## MrsPenelope (Jun 15, 2011)

Hi Bev

I was hoping this thread would die hence not replying. 

I just wanted to say thank you for your help!!

Penny


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## agame (May 26, 2018)

Look at websites like glassdoor.com for salary ranges in your husband's profession and metro area.


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