Hi Walter,

I have heard that same statement many times (90/10). Yet the highest percentage of households in the U.S. is in the 30,000.00 to 49,000.000 annual salary range:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/appliances/appliances.html

Interestingly, 99.9% of American households have a refrigerator, 99.7% of them a stove and/or oven, and 98.9% have a color television. I guess color television must be a necessity now no matter your income level.

Look at the number of households that have a washer, dryer, stereo, cell phone, vcr(s), and a dishwasher. It is all very interesting. Those living in poverty in the U.S. live pretty well compared to those living in poverty in other countries.

I'd be interested in seeing the same scales for European countries. Do you have a link by any chance?

I guess I should own up to the fact that I have 4 color televisions, 3 DVD players, 4 vcr players, 3 computers, 4 monitors (2 19", 1 17", 1 15"), 1 Sony Playstation 2, a trash compacter, a dishwasher, an oven, a stove, a very large refrigerator with water/ice in the door, 3 bathrooms, and I could go on. I am a divorced single-mother living in my own home and I have a college degree. Is that unusual? I think not. I have been in a higher income level and I have been at the very bottom. Yet I have never gone without anything I needed ever. There are quite a few areas that could be improved here in the U.S. but we actually have very few living in real hardship. There are some, but not many. I would like to see an income and living condition comparison chart of the U.S. and other European countries.