📊 Research & Data

Research & Data

Original DWS data studies built on public government data. Every study shows its math, links its sources and includes a free dataset. Free to cite with attribution.

Data Studies

Four Studies, Four Money Decisions

Every dataset, CSV file and citation line is also collected in the DWS Data Library, with a machine-readable datasets.json catalog.

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The $100,000 Mirage: What a Six-Figure Salary Is Really Worth in All 50 States
DWS Data Study No. 01. After federal tax, FICA, state income tax and local cost of living, a $100,000 salary's real buying power ranges from about $89,382 in South Dakota to $65,647 in Hawaii — a 36% gap. Original analysis of BEA Regional Price Parities and 2026 federal tax law. Free to cite.

Read the study →  ·  Download CSV
Study No. 01 · Dataset included
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The Minimum-Payment Trap: How Long Credit-Card Debt Really Takes to Pay Off (2026)
DWS Data Study No. 02. At the 21.52% average APR (Federal Reserve, 2026), paying only the minimum on a $5,000 credit-card balance takes about 19 years and $7,911 in interest — 2.6x what you borrowed. Freeze that payment instead of letting it shrink and the same balance clears in 58 months. Original analysis, free to cite.

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Study No. 02 · Dataset included
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The Savings-Rate Clock: Why Your Savings Rate, Not Your Salary, Decides When You Retire (2026)
DWS Data Study No. 03. Save 10% of your take-home pay and financial independence is about 51 years away; save 50% and it is about 17; save 75% and it is about 7. And because the target and your contributions both scale with income, the answer barely depends on your salary. Original analysis, free to cite.

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Study No. 03 · Dataset included
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The Break-Even Age: What Claiming Social Security at 62, 67, or 70 Really Costs (2026)
DWS Data Study No. 04. Claiming Social Security at 70 instead of 62 gives a permanently 77% bigger monthly check — but you only come out ahead in total dollars if you live past about age 80 and a half. And the break-even age is the same for everyone, no matter how big your benefit is. Original analysis, free to cite.

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Study No. 04 · Dataset included
How We Build a Study

Statistics Library

Dated, primary-source statistics pages, refreshed on the day each government release comes out and free to cite.

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Inflation and Cost-of-Living Statistics 2026
The latest CPI headline and core rates, every major category with its weight and what it adds to the total, cumulative inflation since 2020, inflation by year and Social Security COLA history. Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and SSA, refreshed on every CPI release day.

Open the statistics →
Stats Library · Updated monthly
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Credit Card Debt Statistics 2026
Total card balances, accounts and credit limits, average interest rates, delinquency by age and per-person card debt by state. Figures from the New York Fed and the Federal Reserve, refreshed with each quarterly release.

Open the statistics →
Stats Library · Updated quarterly
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Student Loan Debt Statistics 2026
Total and federal student debt, defaults and delinquency, borrowers by age and debt size, repayment plans now that SAVE has ended and a 50-state table of balances and defaults. Figures from Federal Student Aid and the New York Fed, refreshed with each quarterly release.

Open the statistics →
Stats Library · Updated quarterly

Public Data, Visible Math

Each study starts from primary public sources — agencies such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Social Security Administration, the IRS and the Federal Reserve — and applies transparent, reproducible calculations. The methodology section of every study lists the exact tables used and every assumption made.

Datasets are plain CSV files. Every number in a DWS study can be traced to a public source and reproduced from the dataset.

Found an error? Tell us. We correct studies publicly and note what changed. Our general standards are on the methodology page.

Citing DWS Data

Suggested Citation

DWS studies and datasets are free to use in news, research and education with attribution. Please link to the study page rather than the CSV so readers can see the methodology alongside the numbers.

DigitalWealthSource. “The $100,000 Mirage.” DWS Data Study, 2026. https://digitalwealthsource.com/dws-data-study-100k
Keep Exploring

Tools Built on the Same Data

The studies feed the site’s calculators: model your own numbers in the Calculator Vault, test a decision in the Life Scenario Studio, or browse the What Happens If…? scenarios.