TikTok Influencer Kayla Kilbride Breaks Down Idea That Average American Needs $233K Per Year To Feel Secure — Comment Section Gets Ugly

TikTok financial influencer Kayla Kilbride ruffled more than a few feathers when she examined the finer details of a study stating, "The average American feels like they need to earn $233,000 a year to feel secure."

As you can imagine, there were a lot of unhappy people who sounded off in the comment section of her video. 

The survey she's talking about is one that Bankrate conducted in July 2023. 

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In addition to the number above, the survey also uncovered another interesting nugget.

"To be rich and achieve financial freedom, Americans say they'd need to make about two times more: roughly $483,000 on average."

Both numbers — $233,000 and $483,000 — are much bigger than the roughly $75,000 average full-time earnings of an individual in the United States. 

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The survey also shares the following:

• Over twice as many Americans feel financially insecure than secure, with only 28% considering themselves completely secure financially, while a significant 72% do not, including 26% who believe they will never achieve full financial security.
• Economic factors in the U.S., such as high inflation (63%), the broader economic environment (48%) and rising interest rates (36%), are major barriers to financial security for over three-fifths of financially insecure Americans.
• Personal financial issues also hinder Americans’ financial comfort, with around 40% citing insufficient retirement (41%) and emergency funds (42%), and over a quarter mentioning high debt (26%) and housing affordability (25%) as obstacles.
• Wealth gaps and living cost variations mean many Americans, especially women, believe they need salaries far above the national average to feel comfortable ($237,000) or rich ($502,000), with women needing roughly 8% more than men. 

Now that you have the bigger picture, take a look at what Kilbride said that angered so many people.

"Where are these people getting this number from," she asked with a confused look on her face. "What do you even do with $233,000 a year?"

From there, Kilbride went on to calculate a budget to see what $233,000 a year would look like in spending. She started by deducting $40,000 in student loan debt and $6,000 in credit card debt from the total, leaving her with $187,000.

Monthly expenses, based on the average for an individual in Southern California, included things such as a $3,600 mortgage payment, $250 for groceries, a $500 car payment, $1,700 toward retirement and $1,885 for eating out.

After running through all the expenses Kilbride said, "Now that grand total is approximately $128,000 a year."

She's right. That is the total.

"So, why does the average American think they need $233,000 a year?"

Putting it bluntly, her estimations are not in line with reality. She forgot to factor in taxes, which alone takes a massive chunk out of $233,000. 

Here are just some of the more entertaining comments:

"You forgot to factor in literally all types of taxes, health insurance, car payments and most of all children."

"Uhhh taxes? Emergency savings? Medical bills? LTS? Any self-care above a haircut from Supercuts?"

"Who is only spending $250 a month on groceries?"

"I want to live in her fantasy land."

Consulting a financial adviser can help you better understand how to invest in your future. A professional can offer personalized advice to help you make the best possible short- and long-term investing decisions.

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*This information is not financial advice, and personalized guidance from a financial adviser is recommended for making well-informed decisions.

Chris Bibey has written about personal finance and investment for the past 15 years in a variety of publications and for a variety of financial companies. He is not a licensed financial adviser, and the content herein is for information purposes only and is not, and does not constitute or intend to constitute, investment advice or any investment service. While Bibey believes the information contained herein is reliable and derived from reliable sources, there is no representation, warranty or undertaking, stated or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information.