If you own these 7 things, you’re more privileged than 90% of Americans – VegOut

We tend to measure privilege through obvious displays—luxury cars, designer clothes, vacation homes. But the real markers of economic advantage in America are far more mundane. They’re the things that feel so normal to those who have them that they forget how extraordinary they actually are. These aren’t status symbols; they’re stability symbols. And if you possess most of them, you’re living a fundamentally different life than the vast majority of Americans.

The gap between those who have these basics and those who don’t has widened so gradually that many people don’t realize they’ve crossed into a privileged minority. What feels like “just getting by” to some represents an unreachable dream to others. Here are seven possessions that seem ordinary but place you firmly in America’s economic upper tier—whether you realize it or not.

1. A home you actually own

Homeownership has become the fault line of American economic life. Just 66% of Americans own their homes, and that number drops precipitously among younger generations and minorities. Only 36% of adults with less than $50,000 of income own their home, compared with 87% of adults with a family income of $100,000 or more. For Black households, the ownership rate sits at 46%, while Hispanic households are at 50%—both far below the 74% rate for white households.

The divide isn’t just about having a roof over your head—it’s about building intergenerational wealth. Home equity generally increases with age, creating a snowball effect where those who get on the property ladder early accumulate advantages that compound over decades. Meanwhile, renters watch their monthly payments disappear into someone else’s equity. When you own a home, you’re not just sheltered; you’re investing in a financial instrument that historically appreciates faster than inflation. That’s a privilege most Americans will never experience.

2. A valid passport

Here’s a stunning fact: Between 45% and 50% of Americans hold a valid U.S. passport. That means more than half the country has never left it—not for vacation, not for business, not even once. The passport divide follows predictable lines. Adults under 30 are more likely than older Americans to have a current U.S. passport (53%), while the Urban Suburbs show 64% passport ownership, compared to just 38% in Evangelical Hubs.

A passport represents more than wanderlust. It signals disposable income for international travel, job flexibility that allows for vacation time, and often, a worldview shaped by exposure to different cultures. Individuals with higher incomes and a higher socioeconomic status are more likely to own a passport. When you casually mention your trip to Europe or Mexico, you’re revealing membership in a group that most Americans—particularly those from rural or lower-income communities—will never join.

3. A retirement account with actual money in it

The retirement crisis in America isn’t coming—it’s here. About 41.2% of households don’t have any retirement account at all, and the disparities are stark. Eighty-three percent of adults with at least $100,000 in annual household income have a retirement savings plan, compared to just 28% among those earning less than $50,000.

Even among those with accounts, the balances tell a story of two Americas. While the average 401(k) balance for people in their 60s is $573,624, the median—a better measure of typical experiences—sits at just $210,724. That gap between average and median reveals how a small number of super-savers skew the statistics while most Americans face retirement with inadequate funds. If you’re contributing 15% of your salary and getting an employer match, you’re not being responsible—you’re being privileged.

Related: 8 things you should always keep private, according to psychology

4. A car less than 10 years old

The average age of vehicles on American roads hit a record 12.6 years in 2024, and that number keeps climbing. Having a car from the last decade means you likely have reliable transportation that doesn’t require constant repairs. It means you probably qualified for reasonable financing instead of predatory loans that plague buyers with poor credit. It means you can drive to work without wondering if today’s the day your transmission finally gives out.

A newer car isn’t about showing off—it’s about security. It’s knowing you won’t miss work because your car broke down again. It’s avoiding the cascade of financial disasters that follow when unreliable transportation costs you a job. In America’s car-dependent landscape, where public transit remains inadequate in most areas, reliable transportation isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity that millions can’t afford.

5. More than one computer or laptop in your household

The pandemic exposed our digital divide when suddenly everything—work, school, socializing—moved online. Families with single computers faced impossible choices: whose Zoom meeting mattered more, the parent’s job or the child’s education? Multiple devices in a household signals not just the ability to afford technology but the type of work and education that requires it.

Having multiple computers means your family can participate fully in modern life. Your kids can do homework while you work from home. Nobody has to choose between attending an online class or a virtual job interview. This redundancy—this ability to have backups and options—is what privilege actually looks like. It’s not about having the latest MacBook; it’s about having enough devices that sharing isn’t a daily negotiation.

6. Six months of expenses in savings

Financial advisors preach the six-month emergency fund like gospel, but for most Americans, it’s fantasy. In 2024, 54-55% of adults said they had set aside money for three months of expenses—meaning nearly half couldn’t even meet that lower bar. Sixty-nine percent of adults said they could pay an expense of at least $500 using only their current savings, but that leaves nearly a third who couldn’t handle even that modest emergency.

This cushion creates a different relationship with risk and opportunity. You can negotiate harder for raises knowing you won’t be homeless if fired. You can start a business or return to school. You can say no to overtime that would sacrifice your family time. Six months of savings doesn’t just protect you from disaster—it gives you choices that most Americans can’t afford to make.

7. Good health insurance through your employer

In America, healthcare remains tied to employment for a cruel reason: it keeps workers compliant. Having good employer-sponsored health insurance—not just catastrophic coverage, but actual comprehensive care—puts you in an increasingly exclusive club. It means you can get that suspicious mole checked without debating whether it’s worth the cost. Your kids can play sports without you fearing bankruptcy from a broken bone.

The privilege extends beyond medical care. Good insurance usually signals a professional job with other benefits: paid time off, sick days, possibly even mental health coverage. It means working for an employer large enough to negotiate decent rates and stable enough to maintain them. When politicians debate healthcare, remember that for those with good employer coverage, the system works exactly as designed—creating golden handcuffs that keep educated workers loyal and leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

Final thoughts

These seven items aren’t luxuries—they’re the baseline for middle-class stability that’s increasingly out of reach. If you have most of them, you might feel financially stretched, constantly worried about maintaining your lifestyle. That anxiety is real, but it’s the anxiety of protecting privilege, not surviving poverty. The gap between those who have these basics and those who don’t has become the defining feature of American inequality.

What makes this list so insidious is how invisible these privileges become to those who have them. When everyone in your social circle owns homes, has retirement savings, and carries passports, these things feel normal, even mandatory. This blindness isn’t necessarily malicious, but it shapes everything from voting patterns to policy debates. We argue about tax rates and welfare programs without acknowledging that half the country lacks the basic tools for economic security that the other half takes for granted.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect is how self-reinforcing these advantages become. Each item on this list makes the others easier to obtain. Homeownership builds credit for car loans. Employer health insurance enables the stability to save. A passport reflects the education and income that make everything else possible. If you have most of these seven things, congratulations—you’ve won a lottery you might not have realized you were playing. The question now is what you do with that knowledge.