People who owned a home in 1980 only had to pay $47k, or roughly 4x average salary. (12513: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/AWI.html).

People who own a home in 2025 have to pay $350,000ish on a wage of only $66k.

Home prices have gone up dramatically more than wages.

> In which way is the average person worse?

The amount of debt needed to own a home. Which is related to income vs cost-of-home. This ignores the fact that to reach $66k+/year salaries to begin with, you needed tens-of-thousands in student loan debt as well (which the average person in 1980 didn't need).

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1. Costs of education have gone up. It costs more money to be able to get a comfortable salary to begin with in today's world.

2. Younger folk are entering a very high-priced housing market, despite being already saddled with student loan debt (and thus starting off with no savings).

3. The bulk of "starting a new life" costs are car, house, and education. While yes computers and food have gotten cheaper, I would argue that car/house/education costs are the primary gatekeeper into income and/or class mobility.

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For the 40%ish who cannot afford a house, it gets even worse. Rental prices in 1980 were $243/month. Do you want me to run the numbers on how screwed they've gotten? Or do you have the gist yet?

Also remember: 1980 was a recession year with high unemployment and incredible inflation. We're comparing ourselves to the WORST time of stagflation and some of the worst geopolitical crisis of that era.

So you ignore the literal prices of these things we're discussing.

Gotcha. I'm glad that I've forced you to ignore my argument rather than addressing the elephant in the room.

The average student loan debt in 1980 was zero because the vast majority of people could get by on free and public high school education btw. Especially if we assume that we're talking about the median income household.

To achieve this equivalent to 1980s lifestyle, we're talking what? $200k extra debt burdens on every average / median person? $40k in student debt and $150k++ in extra housing debt? Plus 4 years lost in education (as 1980s folk could work those 4 years instead). How is this a better or even equivalent life?

student loan debt is out of control. college is a money pit that will hopefully be dissolved within our lifetime. the social aspect is not worth the money.

all knowledge is on the internet. we do not need college at all. that will come to be more evident. but colleges got lots o’ money from donors to prolong their livelihoods.

From your source:

> Home Ownership Rate refers to the percentage of homes that are occupied by the owner

So this rate is not that of people that own a home, but homes that are owned by someone that resides there.

Consider people in shared housing, young adults staying with parents, etc.