We are talking about the U.S. here, and no, 40k or 55k are not good salaries at all. It may be OK in Europe with the lower cost of living, etc., but the price of a new car is 50k in 2026, and a basic fast food meal pretty much anywhere is well north of $10.

And yet ~64+% of the US makes less than $74k/year. The median, once you filter out part-time and seasonal workers is ~$65k/year.

You're right, they are not good salaries but they are the reality of wages in the US outside of the SF/NYC bubble.