They say you can’t put a price on love—but in today’s economy, it might be common sense.
Single U.S. adults were asked in a new survey how much they ideally would like potential partners to earn—and were given the caveat that the expectations had to be “realistic.” Respondents who said the income of a would-be partner is important to them, on average, said $139,000 per year was an acceptable salary.
According to the study from insurance giant Northwestern Mutual, Millennials (aged 30 to 45) had the highest income expectations for a potential attachment, at $160,000. Meanwhile, Gen Z (currently aged between 14 and 29)—who are earlier in their careers—said $135,000 was an ideal sum. The survey spoke to those aged 18 and up.
Older generations had slightly lower expectations: Gen X (41 to 64 years old) said $123,000 a year is ideal, while Boomers (65 and up) said $125,000 was a healthy salary.
These expectations perhaps reflect the arc of individual earning expectations. Data from the St Louis Fed, analyzed by Investopedia, shows the median annual earnings for those aged 35 to 44 in the U.S. is $72,020. That is followed by those aged 45 to 54, who earned a median salary of $71,604. Ages 65 and upwards earned a median in the $60,000s while ages 25 to 34 had a median income of $59,800.
While the bar of expectations follows the trajectory of earnings for Americans as they age, the gap between “ideal” earnings for partners is significantly ahead of the real world.
Further gaps between expectation and reality appear when broken down by gender: Men ideally would like their partners to earn $101,000 a year, the study finds, while women would like partners to earn $172,000 a year.
One reason for the differing opinions may be due to the gender pay gap. While the Northwestern study does not define the gender of would-be partners, data support the notion that heterosexual women may be accustomed to male partners earning more. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says that the median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salaried workers for men is $1,380 as of Q2 2026. For women, it is $1,131. This divide also widens as individuals reach peak earning potential: The BLS data shows that for men aged 25 and up, their median weekly earnings were $1,459 in the second quarter of 2026, and $1,171 for women.
Pew Research wrote last year that the gender pay gap has only fractionally closed over the past 20 years: In 2024, women earned an average of 85% of men’s earnings, while in 2003, women earned 81% as much as men.
However, there’s a silver lining for single people who neither earn nor want to earn six figures: 59% of singles don’t believe a potential partner’s income is important.
The money talk
Younger people were talking to their partners earlier about finances, and said financial compatibility was more important than emotional chemistry, physical attraction, or shared interests, the Northwestern study (carried out by The Harris Poll) showed.
Compared to older generations, Gen Z and Millennials were more likely to talk about finances with potential partners in the first few days or weeks of a relationship (10% and 11% respectively, compared to 6% of Gen X and Boomers). They were most likely to talk about money when the relationship got “serious” but before moving in together or getting married.
They were also less likely than Boomers and Gen X to wait until marriage or cohabitation to have a financial chat (15% of Boomers waited that long, compared to 6% of Millennials).
With young people facing an increasingly challenging economy, the Northwestern study also reinforced a familiar trend: Milestones being pushed back, or potentially never hit, by younger people. 31% of Gen Z and 24% of Millennials reported financial challenges were an obstacle to buying a house, while 24% of Gen Z and 14% of Millennials said finances may delay or cause them to decide against having children.
