PS:

Even the US Census Bureau discounts home equity when calculating the
average net worth of Americans.

This chart is from 1995, but the principle still applies.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/wealt.../wlth95-9.html

Example: White families in the "quintile" earning $4973 per month had
an average net worth of $1.2mm, but with home equity excluded that
number fell to $414k.

wrote in message
ups.com...
PS:

Even the US Census Bureau discounts home equity when calculating the
average net worth of Americans.

This chart is from 1995, but the principle still applies.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/wealt.../wlth95-9.html

Example: White families in the "quintile" earning $4973 per month had
an average net worth of $1.2mm, but with home equity excluded that
number fell to $414k.


I think you're off by a factor of 10. The median household net worth for
households in the top quintile was $185,500 in 2000...and that *includes*
home equity:

"This report compares the levels of

wealth and asset ownership, such as

equity in a home, savings accounts, certificates

of deposit, vehicle ownership,

and mutual funds, with various socioeconomic

factors, including monthly household

income, in late 1997 and early

1998, and in late 1999 and early 2000"



http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p70-88.pdf