New survey data from Visa indicates that families with incomes less than $25,000, less than the poverty level, tend to spend $1,393 on prom night compared to $799 for a family earning $50,000. These amounts include payment for flowers, clothes, tickets, limousines, pictures, and more and will add up to over five percent of the lower income families' earnings. This spending behavior has often been a trend in the past with only occasional departures. Although the amount of money spent by those in poverty is stunning, overall prom spending has been on a downward trend.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
