June 8, 2006
We're Smart. We're Wealthy. Everyone Loves Us!
Here's a little something we can all celebrate -- WTOP is reporting that a study has found that the greater Washington area leads the nation in wealthy households and has the most educated workforce. When compared to nine other metro areas around the country, the Washington area came in tops with a median household income of $72,800 and the most PhDs per capita, according to a report by the Greater Washington Initiative. A little self-congratulatory back-patting is in order.
>>See the full report here (.pdf format)
Picture snapped by ohad*
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All that education and money and not a new idea among the whole group.
They come a dime a dozen and they can't even follow the most simplest directions, bother to read a note, or work a fax machine.
Good thing I'm leaving town. I'm only bringing the median income dooooown with my measly non-profit salary.
We're rich and smart!!! I wish I could be part of the rich crowd.
would someone like to point me towards these high paying jobs that are so talked about...
I take pride in the fact that, generally, DC has an intelligent population that makes good money.
Ironically, DC also has an HIV/AIDS rate ten times (10x) higher than the national average.
Why is that?
Sarah- the high paying jobs are just across the bridge in Pentagon city. Be prepared to be an engineer and be willing to work for someone who joined the Marines instead of going to college.
If I'm lyin, I'm Dyin
The high paying jobs are also in the District. Call me crazy, but I think there are a few lawyers, lobbyists, and consultants in the city. And these people make much more money than a defense analyst.
Right, but they don't live in the city. The people who actually live in DC don't get the high-paying jobs in DC.
DC's median income is only 40,000, NOT 72,000. The 72,000 figure is nothing to be proud of, unless this is NOVAist or Bethesdaist.
DC's per capita income is only 28,600.
I can bench press a car
I'm an ex football star
with degrees from both Harvard and Yale
Girls just can't keep up
I'm a real love machine
I've had far better sex while in jail
I designed the Sears tower
I make two grand an hour
I cook the world's best duck flambe
I'll take the pick of the litter
And girls jockey for me
I don't need these lines to get laid
I smell some jealousy. One could work for a non-profit, but they pay peanuts. If you have a moral objection to what defense contractors do to make money, then you can make do with less salary. On the other hand, who is going to build ships, satellites, etc? We do need a military and intelligence organizations regardless of whatever quagmire we are in right now; and they can't do everything in-house. If that were the case, some of you would have been drafted by now. Of course the defense contractors pay top dollar for people coming out of the military, especially those with security clearances. Those PhD's walking in off the street can't do the work because they don't have the access to what the gov't wants them to work on right away. These contractors could pay upwards 0f $75k and two years wait (depending on how high the clearance goes) for the background investigations (more involved than just pulling up someone's criminal record), polygraph tests, etc. In this case, time is money--so they would rather take the former 'grunt' with a TS clearance and a high school diploma over the guy with a masters and no clearance. The Marine probably has demonstrated some leadership and effectiveness at a young age that many, even with a vaunted PhD, don't possess.
Sadie (a few posts above) is operating under the old notion of the District. There are plenty of residents in the District with high paying jobs. Many of the zip codes in NW surpass the richest 'burbs in median income.
The problem with the District isn't a lack of a residential upper class. The problem is that we don't have much of a middle class. The closest we have to a middle class are the groups of 25 yr olds getting paid $35k/year to schlep at the Natl Save-a-Whale Foundation, etc. And they don't count because they skip out of the city after a few years anyway.