Trevor Profile Ent

09/26/2026

07/22/2026

07/21/2026

In 1999, $100,000 was rich-people money. In 2026, it’s “we’re doing okay as long as nobody needs braces” money.

That’s how much the meaning of six figures has changed.

Back then, a $100,000 income was more than double the typical household income. Today, that same salary has roughly half the buying power it had in 1999.

And housing is where it gets especially ugly.

The median existing single-family home was around $133,000 in 1999. Today, it’s well over $400,000.

So yes, $100,000 is still a good income.

But it doesn’t automatically mean a big house, two cars, a stay-at-home spouse, annual vacations, and money left over.

Now it means you can live comfortably in some places, feel stretched in others, and pray nobody needs orthodontics, a new transmission, or a family trip in the same month.

01/13/2026