Grand Rapids - Pay is a personal issue, yet one we all wonder about - 'How much does my neighbor make?' is a question most people ask themselves.
Our story idea is not original. We, like most of America, enjoy reading Parade magazine inside our Sunday paper. Every year, right about when taxes are due, Parade "parades" photos and pay levels of people from across the country. From the baker to the internet billionaire, it's fascinating reading. You can learn more about What People Earn from Parade Magazine's website.
It includes a salary wizard from www.salary.com. You can plug in your own data and see how your pay stacks up.
However, a compensation expert from Grand Rapids, cautions that salary dot com's data tends to be inflated by 10 to 20%. David Smith, executive director of The Employer's Association also says Grand Rapids pay levels, in general, "pays a bit less than the rest of the world."
Some salaries are easy to find - if you work for a public company, or the government, they're easily available. The highest salary in our report belongs to the C.E.O. of Steelcase, Inc. Jim Hackett. In the company's last fiscal year, his salary was $840,000. Runnerup, sort of, was pro athlete Jimmy Howard. We says sort of since Howard's income depends on the jersey he's wearing. When he's with the Detroit Red Wings, his pay rate is $733,000. When he's in goal for the Griffins, it's closer to $85,000.
Some people told us they don't like to be judged on their pay level. One of them was the chief appellate attorney for the Kent County Prosecutor's office, Tim McMurrow. He says "A lot of people will define you in terms of what your income is, and I think that's really unfair." McMurrow declined to tell us what his income his, but a Freedom of Information Act request revealed he's paid $96,969 a year.
Dave Smith, of The Employer's Association, said for most people pay "defines who they are in the perception of others." For some of the people we encountered on the streets of Grand Rapids, it was no big deal to volunteer their pay.
Geoff Gentel, a sales clerk at Meijer, said his annual full-time income was about $10,000. Shannon Veenstra, a fast food restaurant supervisor, will bring home about $17,888 this year. Benson Garza, a laborer with a concrete company will earn $50,000.
Others making about $50,000 were mailman Dennis Kimberlin ($49,000), car salesman Dale Schaub ($45,000), and machinist Tom Slenker ($50,000).
What is the most common, or median income around Grand Rapids? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the figure is $31,242. The average income in 2006 was $38,060. Both of those figures showed increases from the year before.
Search for unclaimed funds. Peter Ross
In your voice
