The finish line moved.
Milestones that used to arrive on a schedule now take longer to reach, and that's not because you're doing something wrong. See exactly where the ground shifted, and where it actually didn't.
Then vs. Now
Pick two years. See how income, home prices, a year of public college, and a family's health insurance premium actually compared, in real dollars, no adjustments.
Median household income
Median home price
Public college, 1 year
Family health premium
Median household income
Median home price
Public college, 1 year
Family health premium
Where the pressure actually shows up
A home at the median price, measured in years of median income.
One year of public college plus one year of family health coverage, as a share of income.
National medians and averages, nominal dollars, your own numbers will differ. "1990" reflects the nearest reliably sourced year per figure (1988-1990); every other year is a single calendar year. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (household income); National Association of Realtors, existing-home sales (home price); College Board, Trends in College Pricing, and U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES Digest of Education Statistics (public college tuition and fees, in-state, one year); KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, drawing on the Health Insurance Association of America's 1988 survey for the earliest year (family health insurance premium). Nothing is saved or sent.
What does Then vs. Now compare?
Median household income, the median home price, one year of public college, and a family health insurance premium, for any two of five benchmark years (1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2024), in the actual dollars of each year.
Why measure in years of income instead of dollars?
Everything costs more now; that is what inflation is. What tells you whether the finish line moved is how many years of a typical income a home costs, and what share of a year's income college and health coverage take. Those ratios are what changed, and they are what the tool shows.
Where do the numbers come from?
National medians and averages from primary sources, one per metric and year, listed in the note under the tool. They are real figures, not adjusted or modeled, so what you see is what a household in that year actually faced.
If the "forgotten middle" feels familiar
Earning well, saving diligently, and still feeling like the finish line keeps receding? That's the exact situation The Forgotten Middle guide was written for.