Quote:
“Americans are getting stronger. Twenty years ago, it took two people to carry ten dollars worth of groceries. Today, a five-year old can do it.” — Henny Youngman
Currently, much points to a steady erosion of living standards. By measuring prices and salaries in gold terms, we can contrast these rather intuitive perceptions with actual data and are indeed able to reveal an illusion of nominal values. According to Keith Weiner, the wage of unskilled workers in the US in 1965 stood at 71 ounces of gold per year. In 2011, the salary of an employee in a supervisory capacity stood at the equivalent of 63 ounces of gold.
Measured in gold terms, a clear decline in purchasing power could thus be observed. In January 2001, the average purchasing power was at the same level as in 1970. On average one was able to purchase 120 ounces of gold with one’s annual income. Since then, the purchasing power of average incomes is in a downtrend, and currently stands at 38 ounces per year.
Measured in gold terms, it can thus be shown that both prices are rising and wages are declining.