[rcoder]

In California, yes; median income is around $100k. And of course, if you have kids, a mortgage, etc., you can qualify for plenty of tax incentives. OTOH, if you have kids your food, clothing, and transportation budget are almost certainly higher, and your ability to (say) relocate to find better wages are even more limited.

I stand by the core point: the median household income leaves very little room for major spikes in essential costs like fuel, housing, and health care. Any single cost jumping from $5k -> $10k is potentially ruinous.