The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell tells it like he wishes it was, “How theme parks like Disney World left the middle class behind”. Way back in 1971, Drew tells us, a ticket to Disney World cost $20.50 in 2014 dollars. The price today? A cool $105! Hey, middle class! Mickey don’t love you no more!
One might note that over the past 40 years the middle class has been “shrinking” not because more people are sliding into the lower-income category ($35,000 or less in current dollars) but because they’ve been moving into the upper-income category (above $100,000), as the New York Times rather inadvertently explained here.1 In 1967, a few years before Mickey East opened, 40% of American families were lower-income, while 7 percent were upper-income. In 2013, 34% were lower-income, while 22% were upper-income. The Post reports that these days the average family at Disney World has an income of about $90,000, $20,000 over the national average. Not too shabby, sure, but still $10,000 under the middle/upper dividing line.
One could also note that the 2014 Disney World probably puts on a better show than the 1971 DW. Or that the cost of getting there by air has dropped by 50%! Or that there are simply a lot more people above the $100,000 barrier, which makes it worth Disney’s while to market such items as a $115 steak. It’s not a conspiracy, Drew. It’s the bottom line.
Afterwords
I never been inside a Disney park, but I did go to “Downtown Disney,” a sort of good times mall outside the original Anaheim park, where you can have a beer and get a pretty good look at the fireworks for free.
