Page above mentions results of the survey. Some notes:
1 in 20 said they’d need >= $1 million annual income to feel financially secure . I’d be among the 1 in 10 who said they didn’t know, as I believe financial security has little meaning, without also considering wealth. If I have enough income to cover my expenses, that insures that I can live paycheck to paycheck; but if I am living paycheck to paycheck I am certainly not going to feel financially secure, regardless of income.
Having income left over for savings after expenses also doesn’t make me feel financially secure, unless I also have sufficient wealth. Particularly important is having a high enough wealth to cover however long it would take to find a comparable job if laid off and/or to cover potential unpaid time off periods. The higher the wealth, the lower the income is necessary to feel financially secure.
A high income without wealth would not make me feel financially secure, but I would feel financially secure with a high enough wealth and no income. Trinity study type analyses suggest an invested wealth at around 25x to 30x annual expenses is large enough to support future expenses for rest of lifetime, when assuming future expenses remain constant after adjusting for inflation.
Too many variables regarding individual financial situations. HCOL cities are likely to require a much higher annual income than $150,000 for a single person in order to feel financially secure unless that individual has a significant net worth.