The Stingy Cities That Kick In the Least To Social Security

We all help pay for Social Security, but we don’t all help pay for it equally out of our paychecks. As a result, this can mean whole cities – depending on the local economy and the types of jobs that cluster there – don’t kick in equally, either.

Today, employees and employers chip in payroll taxes to this safety net on annual earnings of up to $110,100 (that figure goes up modestly every year, depending on growth in average annual earnings). If you’re lucky enough to make a lot more than that – let’s say you’re an investment banker – you only have to pay Social Security taxes on your first $110,100. If you make less than that – if you’re a school teacher, a coal miner or a secretary – you wind up paying Social Security taxes on your entire annual income. The richer you are, in other words, the less you contribute as a share of your income. The poorer you are, well, here’s another reason that life seems unfair.