What salary would you need to earn to be in the top 5 of wage earners in the US?

According to census data from 2007 income, the top 5% of the US population earns $177,000 per year or more. This is yearly income, not total wealth. Don't ignore their significant investments, business equity, real estate holdings and all their other assets. In 1999, the top 5% of the US population held 68% of the nations financial wealth and 59% of the economy's net worth. The bottom 20% holds statistically zero wealth. The top 2% of the US population have a yearly income of $250,000 and up. The top 1% have a yearly income of $12.7 million and up. When reading wealth comparisons, be careful of the numbers. For example, one might say it is unfair for the top 1% to pay 60% of all taxes (numbers I've made up). This is due to their enormous income. That 60% represents a tiny change in rate. 2008 Arizona rates, for example, are 2.59% of total income for the lowest bracket, and 4.54% for the highest. The very rich are only paying 2% more of their total income. Since the 1960's, tax rates have gone down for low earners, up for relatively high earners, and down for very high earners.