Settle an argument…

[Statsquestion1]

Disagreement between 2 people on whether they are “average”…

Stats are
Person A - 50k
Person B ~70k
so that’s an annual income of ~120k

Cars
A-2014 owned outright
B-2025 owned outright

Buying house worth 500k.
Will have joint equal deposit of 220k

cash savings
A-20k
B-50k

A has 2 primary dc - separate 30k for Uni Costs saved already

Average or not average?

Average of what other group is the key point here. If they’re looking at the average amongst immediate family and colleagues - presumably in similar socioeconomic groups, possibly similar educational attainment, similar work areas ( when comparing colleagues), then that’s totally different to looking at the average for the uk as a whole. Who are you each comparing yourself against here? Sort that out otherwise it’s a pointless discussion.

One is comparing to the majority of people as is aware they earn well and have lots of savings etc. the other is comparing in general I suppose and more so with who they see around them. I want to note no one is unhappy or throwing a strop. One person in the couple made a flippant comment like “if I knew at 20 how well I’d be doing in less than 20 years I would’ve stopped panicking!” The other person said well it’s about average for our age group and expectations no?

So you both had different expectations. One assumed they’d be in that bracket with that type of lifestyle, and the other didn’t assume that, and is pleased to be there. Second person probably feels annoyed at the first because saying “well this is what I expected of life” makes the second one feel like their work and effort to get there isn’t acknowledged.

“And expectations” is the key bit here. The person who said that is not comparing themselves to the population as a whole they are comparing themselves to a peer group with similar expectations, which in turn would be dependant on social class, education level, part of the country etc.

Yes i suppose the expectations makes it a different question… thank you

Woooooah! NOT average!!! Not average at all!

Not even average.for this wealthy country. Not even average for the wealthy area i live in!!

This is privilege! Lucky A and B and their children !!

So going by the responses on this thread, it’s clear down too what your expectations are what/who you are surrounded by and what area you live in. Obviously neither of us is right wrong. Some people on here have your opinion we are possibly more than average and others say average (not wealthy though) to one of the couple they feel wealthy enough

Surely it’s basic that if you want to claim to be “average” within a group, you must first define the common characteristics of the group? If the two of you are talking about different groups you could both be right, but talking at cross purposes.

Oh look, more well off people blind to the good position they're in and in denial because they're insulated from the poorer majority by the bubble of their existence.

I'm confused. Can someone explain please. Is the question is A more average than B?

This 😂 honestly I'm beginning to think there needs to be a separate site for us poories, everyone on Mumsnet seems to earn waaay above average but think they're destitute.

The average is a fact.

Anyone who claims that earning above average is actually not above average because it doesn't 'feel' like that because they only knock around with above average earners is a) a fool b) wrong.

Facts don't change because someone feels differently. Maths is a science.

💯

Facts are facts.

It's unhealthy for the person who can't see their privilege. To not understand reality is not good, and appreciating good fortune is a blessing in life. Recognising the fact you're doing well is so much more healthy, it is the right way to view this scenario.

both of them very much appreciate their position!…

They don't understand their relative position, so how can they appreciate it?

Standards of living / cost of living don't have any bearing on what's average.

Average for FT work in the UK is £37k.

average salary = what people earn,
cost of living = what people need to spend,
and the gap between them = how good or bad things feel financially.
I stated the latter because the OP didn’t just refer to salary, the OP referred to savings, house worth, car ownership (year) so this implies how far the money goes or is being spent on some of the bigger outgoings.

'Average' isn't a subjective thing. It's a mathematical calculation.

You can see where your income (deduct income tax and NI before you enter the figure) sits on a scale of the rest of the population here. If you sit around the 50% mark, you're average. Higher than that, you're above average. Lower, you're below average.

https://ifs.org.uk/tools_and_resources/where_do_you_fit_in

I can guarantee you that you are way above average, though. My own household's income is quite a bit above average, and my partner and I earn far less than you. We also have approximately one-tenth of the amount of savings and our home is worth less than half what yours is.

So you will be way, way above average.

I want to cry, who has this kind of money? Seriously what do these people do for jobs. Way above average

We are both in STEM roles in a global company.