Antiwork

Have you ever looked at the cost of housing in London, Manhattan, Seattle, or San Francisco? The people that you mentioned, the clerks and such, don't live there. They commute into the city from surrounding areas. A few years ago $180k per year in SF was listed by the government as poverty level. It's probably higher now. You're seeing the situation without realizing the problem. And no, the people making those high salaries usually can't just go live somewhere else. Their industries are region constrained, and if you are lucky enough to work remotely and move to a more affordable area, they often dock your pay. Just two comments up was someone saying their friend's pay was docked from $8000 per month to $4500 per month when they moved to a cheaper area, even though they had the exact same job at the exact same company. It is entirely possible to make $200k a year and not have a lot of money after your cost of living expenses, especially if you just started making that much.