Americans are much richer than most Europeans, and the proof is in McDonald’s. According to a new report, the average American worker can buy 10,215 Big Macs a year after taxes. That’s more than double that of French and German workers, and 50% more than British workers. The data comes from the “Big Mac Index,” the long-standing, if slightly bizarre, economic indicator created by The Economist. American workers can afford twice as many Big Macs a year as their French and German counterparts. Bloomberg via Getty Images The new analysis assesses how much real work is required to buy the same standard product, which is available at 44,000 McDonald’s locations around the world. Big Macs are priced based on local ingredients and operating costs. A Big Mac in the United States costs an average of $6.22, while in France and Germany it costs $7.30 and in Japan only $3.12, according to another price tracker. Dividing the cost of a Big Mac by average wages offers an easy-to-understand way to compare wealth among workers in different nations. In the United States, it takes only 23 minutes of work to buy a Big Mac, or six hamburgers per hour. Americans continue to top The Economist McWages rankings annually, with an American worker earning nearly $60,000 after taxes, enough to buy 10,215 Big Macs. The “McWages Index” calculates the purchasing power of average workers around the world based on the affordability of the McDonald’s burger. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post That figure is almost double the roughly 5,000 Big Macs a worker in France can buy annually, and more than double the roughly 4,000 that German workers can buy. Switzerland and Australia rank second and third, respectively, with New Zealand in fourth and Israel in fifth. But Americans also work longer hours than many of their European counterparts, and one country has the advantage when it comes to Big Macs per hour. In the United States, it takes only 23 minutes of work to buy a Big Mac, or six hamburgers an hour. Getty Images Switzerland takes first place: the Swiss earn the equivalent of seven Big Macs an hour. Australia, with five hamburgers for every hour worked, is in third place. The index also tracks the growth and decline of wealth, because it expresses both wages and the cost of a staple food. Germans don’t love it: They’ve gotten much poorer over the past two years, as wages have stagnated and prices have skyrocketed. However, other countries, such as Latvia, are significantly richer in terms of Big Macs than they were two years ago, and the average worker can now afford an extra burger for every two hours of work.
