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According to a recent breakdown from financial tech company SmartAsset, people need a lot more money than they are making to be comfortable.
A single Pennsylvanian, for instance, needs about $97,011 to hit that threshold. For a family of four, it's $247,936.
The numbers can be a little startling. The U.S. Census Bureau puts the per capita income in the Keystone State at $44,355. For that four-person household, the median is $100,262.
Compare those sets of figures, and it points to an idea.
A lot of Pennsylvanians are economically uncomfortable.
So what does it mean to be comfortable?
It's calculated using a three-part equation. The needs -- things like housing, food and gas for your car -- make up 50% of your income. Wants are concert tickets and nights out and travel. That's another 30%. The final 20% is savings.
To do that -- feeding and clothing and entertaining and saving for the people in your home -- takes more than twice as much money as people are bringing home.
There is something about this that is just reality. We know housing costs are high. We know food prices are high. The gas pump holds us hostage. Everything is more expensive than it was.
And does anyone save what they should? The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis says we save just over 4%, not the 20% we should. In fact, according to PNC Bank, 67% of workers say they are living paycheck to paycheck. When you are doing that, there's no room to save and no cushion if you don't.
This isn't only a Pennsylvania problem. The SmartAsset report puts the Keystone State solidly in the middle, 26th of 50 states. Neighboring West Virginia, 50th, can have a comfortable family with just $202,592. The three highest -- Hawaii, Massachusetts and California -- all top $300,000 to reach comfort.
Does that mean we need to be earning more money? Does it mean we need to spend less to stay in those 50/30/20 boxes? Does it mean we need to prioritize savings?
It might mean all three.
But we also can't let math define comfort.
The old adage says that money can't buy happiness, but it actually can pay for comfort. But it doesn't have to be the only way to achieve it.
Changing how much money we make is easier said than done. Lowering the price tag for needs can only go so far, and you can't save what you don't have.
That leaves wants.
For Pennsylvanians, comfort might mean connecting with community. It could be a Friday night high school football game. It could be found on a hiking trail.
There is no question Pennsylvanians could use more breathing room in their budgets.
A report can add up columns of numbers. It can divide them and give a bottom line.
But there is a difference between the money we spend and the things we value.