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Affluence refers to an individual's or household's economical and financial advantage in comparison to a given reference group. There are various ways to measure affluence. Looking at the 400 wealthiest Americans, the majority gained their wealth through inheritance. Among executive-level income earners, race and education also play factors. ==Affluence as a metric== Affluence in the United States has been attributed in many cases to inherited wealth that amounts to "a substantial head start". In September 2012, the Institute for Policy Studies found that over 60 percent of the Forbes richest 400 Americans had grown up with substantial privilege. Income, commonly used to measure affluence, though this is relative: an upper middle class person with a personal income of $77,500 annually and a billionaire may both be referred to as affluent, depending on reference groups: An average American with a median income of $32,000〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=US Census Bureau, personal income distribution, age 25+, 2006 )〕 ($39,000 for those employed full-time between the ages of 25 and 64)〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=US Census Bureau, income distribution of individuals, employed full-time, year round, age 25–64, 2006 )〕 when used as a reference group would justify the personal income in the tenth percentile of $77,500 being described as affluent〔 but if this earner was compared to an executive of a Fortune 500 company, then the description would not apply. Accordingly, marketing firms and investment houses classify those with household incomes exceeding $75,000 as mass affluent while the threshold upper class is most commonly defined as the top 1% with household incomes commonly exceeding $525,000 annually, as of 2013. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 42% of if households have two income earners, thus making households' income levels higher than personal income levels. The percent of married-couple families with children where both parents work is 59.1%.〔http://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm〕 In 2005 the economic survey revealed the following income distribution for households and individuals: The top 5% of individuals had six figure incomes (exceeding $100,000); the top 10% of individuals had incomes exceeding $75,000;〔 The top 5% of households, three quarters of whom had two income earners, had incomes of $166,200 (about 10 times the 2009 US minimum wage) or higher,〔 with the top 10% having incomes well in excess of $100,000. The top 0.12%, had incomes exceeding $1,600,000 annually. Households may also be differentiated among each other, depending on whether or not they have one or multiple income earners (the high female participation in the economy means that many households have two working members). For example, in 2005 the median household income for a two income earner households was $67,000 while the median income for an individual employed full-time with a graduate degree was in excess of $60,000, demonstrating nearly half of individuals with a graduate degree can out-earn most dual income households.〔 By another measure the average home in the United States has more than 700 square feet per person (50% - 100% more than in other high-income countries) and even those in the lowest income percentiles enjoy more space than the middle classes in Europe. Similarly even in the lowest percentiles, ownership rates of gadgets and amenities are exceptionally high compared to other countries and another indicator is the fact the immigrants to the US come from all over the world and its net migration rate is among the highest in the world. Overall, the term affluent may be applied to a variety of individuals, households, or other entities, depending on context. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau serves as the main guideline for defining affluence. U.S. government data not only reveal the nation's income distribution but also the demographic characteristics of those to whom the term "affluent", may be applied.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Affluence in the United States」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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