Last year, Mitt Romney made more than $374,000 in speaking fees. He averaged just under $41,600 per speech. He does not think this is “very much” money.”
Here’s what “not very much” money looks like: If Romney only made speeches, and wasn’t mostly living off his low-tax investments, he would be well within the top five percent of earners in the country. On speeches alone.
The haul from a single speech would put him in the middle of the pack, nationally, although it would place him at the upper end of the lower middle class if you’re just looking at Massachusetts households.
What you see above is the average household income in 2010, sorted by quintile, and with the top five percent of the top quintile thrown in for perspective. By any reasonable measure, “not very much” money is a great deal of money to 95 percent of the country.
Then again, the Census Bureau and I might just be envious.