<p>My question is whether 50k is considered middle class in an area where the average household income is 110k. I ask this question because I want to know if colleges consider your income and where you live, since 100k in NY is different from 100k in South Dakota, for aid purposes.</p>
<p>I believe the allowance for income is by state, not region.
Highest median income is New Hampshire with $66,000. Lowest is Mississippi with $36.000.</p>
<p>So no to your question, colleges assume that even if $70,000 doesn’t go as far as it could, where you live is still a choice.</p>
<p>^Where you live is certainly a choice, but comparable jobs in New York make more than their counterparts in say, South Dakota.
Colleges probably SHOULD judge based on region or state, but I’m almost certain that they don’t.</p>
<p>???</p>
<p>Where is the average household income $110k???</p>
<p>Port Washington NY
[Port</a> Washington, New York (NY) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders](<a href=“http://www.city-data.com/city/Port-Washington-New-York.html]Port”>http://www.city-data.com/city/Port-Washington-New-York.html)</p>
<p>The North Shore of Long Island, along with other areas in NY as well. However, keep in mind that its super expensive to live in these areas so at the end of the day that money doesn’t go far at all. For example in these areas houses that are 2400 sqft, cost 500k to 600K and the real estate taxes are 12k a year. So at the end of the day people aren’t sitting on piles of money.</p>
<p>ABCDE: Ha! Ha! Ha! - Port Washington is even more expensive given its proximity to Manhattan.</p>
<p>Well how is that different from an area where people are paid $50,000, a 2400 square foot house (which is a BIG house BTW) costs 250,000 and taxes are $6000…there was an interesting thread awhile back where people were discussing water, sewer, electric, gas costs, those are the things that are difficult to control and the “high cost” areas didn’t always have the high cost fixed rate items…how much square footage someone needs to live in is variable.</p>
<p>On the north shore of long island they don’t really build houses much smaller than that for the simple reason that resale is tough. Its not to say they don’t exist but thats just not the norm for the Island. Btw the way I was being conservative. That same scenario in Port Washington, that the OP pointed out is about 100-150K more and the taxes are problably 4k more and the properties are very tiny. </p>
<p>Also keep in mind that in these ares of the Island its not uncommon for people to commute into Manhattan for work. Commutation costs from the middle of the Island to NYC run about $6500 a year. (railroad ticket, gas to and from train station, parking gargage, and NYC subway tickets) </p>
<p>I have a friend who sold her 3200 sqft house here on Long Island for 750K. Her taxes at that time were 16K. She moved to North Carolina. There she bought a new 5500 sqft house in a gorgeous gated community, with pools, tennis, basketball courts etc etc etc. Great school district. She paid $725K and her taxes were 4500K. The utilites were cheaper, gas was less expensive. As a whole most things were considerably cheaper thats why they moved and her husband could work from any state so it only made sense.</p>
<p>ABCDE; I’m assuming you are from Long Island. If so then I will share my experience with you. I, too, had the same question and when I spoke to the schools that my S was accepted to and we were interested in considering they all said that they do take into consideration the cost of living of the area that the applicant lives in. However, I’m not sure how they go about that. As you know the cost of living on the North Shore and certainly worse yet by you in Port Washington, is completely different than the cost of living in Riverhead or Patchogue. So if they clump all of Long Island together, as I suspect they do, or look at the counties - Suffolk and Nassau, then you’re out of luck.<br>
Or at least I was. Hence no financial aid.</p>