social welfare research institute - Boston College

The family net worth of the participants at the time of the interview ranged from
$1 million to $1.15 billion, with an average of $159 million and a median of $43 million
for the 26 families reporting their net worth. Most of this wealth had been earned in the
high-tech industry although nineteen percent, on average, was earned from subsequent
investments and approximately two percent, on average, was inherited or derived from
other sources. The following table gives the distribution of the sample by family net
worth.
Table 2: Family Net Worth
Family Net Worth N
Under $5 million 6
$5 million to under $100 million 9
$100 million to under $500 million 8
$500 million to under $1 billion 1
$1 billion or more 2
Missing 2
Total 28
Source: Social Welfare Research Institute, 2001
The annual family income of the participants for the year 2000 ranged from a loss
of $75 million to a positive income of $30.1 million with an average of $4 million and a
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