Yale Endowment, shown to scale

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$1,000

$72,000 (Average Yale worker salary)

$1 million

$1 billion

50m

$40.7 billion (Yale University endowment)

Yale's endowment is so large, that it is quite literally unimaginable.
We rarely see wealth inequality represented to scale. This may be one of the reasons people consistently struggle to estimate the extent of wealth inequality.
Every inch you scroll represents about $50 million.
OK, we're coming up on the end now.

Lol, just kidding, we're about a third of the way. Keep scrolling though, there's more to see.

Let's put this wealth in perspective by comparing it to some familiar things.
All the money the average American with a BA will ever earn in their entire life, from the day they are born until the day they die (about $1.93 million)
Annual rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in New Haven ($19,116)
Annual childcare for one child in New Haven ($14,400)
Annual groceries for a family of four ($9,600)
Annual transportation (car payment, gas, insurance) ($7,200)
Annual retirement savings needed ($6,000)
Annual utilities (electric, gas, water, internet) ($6,883)

We Can't Keep Up: These are just the basic annual expenses that families face. When you add them all up, it's clear why so many workers struggle to make ends meet, even with full-time jobs.

Total annual expenses for a family of four ($62,199)
Typical Yale worker annual take-home pay ($72,150)

The Reality: Annual expenses ($62,199) vs. take-home pay ($72,150) = $9,951 surplus. But this doesn't account for taxes, healthcare costs, or emergency savings. Many workers still struggle to make ends meet.

What Yale Could Do With Just 1% of Its Endowment

Yale's endowment is $40.7 billion. Just 1% of that is $407 million. Here's what Yale could do with that money instead of hoarding it:

Pay every Yale worker $100,000 per year minimum ($2 billion)
Build 1,000 affordable housing units ($400 million)

What Yale Could Do for New Haven

The Reality: What Yale Actually Does

Yale's endowment grew by $1.4 billion in 2023 alone. That's enough money to give every Yale worker a $175,000 bonus. Instead, workers are told there's "no money" for raises, benefits, or better working conditions.

New Haven's Reality: While Yale's endowment grew by $1.4 billion in 2023, New Haven faces a $15 million budget deficit. The city struggles to fund schools, maintain infrastructure, and provide services, while Yale pays less than 0.02% of its endowment in taxes to the city.

New Haven's Cost of Living: According to [PayScale](https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/Connecticut-New-Haven), New Haven's cost of living is 8% higher than the national average. Housing costs are 2% higher, utilities are 42% higher, and transportation is 7% higher than the national average.

Yale's Growth While You Browse

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Growing in real-time based on your time on this page (shows up to 1 hour of growth)

Growth rate: 0%