'Mad Men': Don Draper's 1962 Life In 2012 Dollars

Jon Hamm, a cast member in the television series "Mad Men," glances at photographers as he arrives for the PaleyFest 2012 panel discussion about the show, Tuesday, March 13, 2012, in Beverly Hills, Calif. The new season of "Mad Men" begins on Sunday, March 25. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Looking at the costs of Don Draper's lush life, what strikes us most is just how impossibly good the dashing, inscrutable star of TVs "Mad Men" had it--at least in terms of his personal finances. The fictional ad man, played by Jon Hamm, lives a kingly (and often quite drunken) life on a salary of $45,000 a year plus a $2,500 bonus. In 2012 dollars, that translates into an annual salary of $356,510, as our friends at Credit Sesame point out.

Today, someone with Draper's equivalent job as a creative director at an advertising firm makes an average annual salary of $133,641, according to Credit Sesame's analysis. Though well above the median income in the U.S., that salary is not going to get you a Draper-style life, packed with first-class trips to Los Angeles, a mistress or two, a Cadillac and a stay-at-home spouse--wait that was two seasons ago. Last time we checked, the recently divorced Draper had just proposed to his kids' nanny. But we digress.

Check out the Credit Sesame's infographic, which translates Draper's life into 2012 terms.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article identified Don Draper as an "ad director at an advertising firm," rather than as creative director, the character's actual title.

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Comments

[kid shamrock]

05:49 PM on 12/19/2012

Don's $45K salary was in Season One. In season 2 we see Betty endorsing a paycheck of his for $947, which indicates he may have been making as much as $60K in late '62.

[js91403]

12:03 AM on 03/28/2012

Don Draper may be a creative director, but he is also a partner in his current firm. In the early 60s my dad was about a decade into running (with his one partner) a NYC firm that made women's undergarments and was making about $75,000 a year. And it was not one of the bigger companies. So $45,000 for a partner in an ad firm doesn't sound too high to me. In 1972 - at 24 - I finally found a job at CBS News with a possible career path for me, and I was paid $105 a week plus overtime...a base salary just under $5300 a year. In NYC.

[alloallo3]

12:00 AM on 03/27/2012

You forgot one incredibly important factor: the tax rates of 1962, which could rise to 91 percent. In 1960 my father made $175,000 (in the dollars of the time). He told his boss to cut it to $100,000 because it didn't make sense to just send it to the feds.

[MikeDu]

03:58 PM on 03/23/2012

Really, in the 1960s no self-respecting businessman would leave the house unshaven like that. The unshaven look didn't arrive until Don Johnson on 'Miami Vice' in 1984.

[T Pol]

04:41 PM on 03/24/2012

Really, that's the actor off-screen, not him in character on the set, where he is clean shaven.

See caption below photo.

[3x]

10:09 AM on 03/23/2012

This is the story of our economy since 1980.

Inflation since then has wipe out earnings increases for everyone in the bottom 90%. In other words, most of us haven't gotten a real raise in 30 years.

(The top 10% sure did though!)

[Mouse718]

07:42 PM on 03/22/2012

The house in Westchester would only be valued at 363K today? Uh, maybe that would be the price of it in 1985, but I'd guess that house would go for somewhere around $800-900K today, and that's in a BAD market.

[Andrew Harvey]

04:41 AM on 03/23/2012

Yeah, 363K would buy you a two bedroom condo in New Rochelle, next to the rail road tracks. Not sure whose making these numbers up.

[clearasmud]

06:51 PM on 03/22/2012

Mobile Phone
I-Pad
Kindle
Lap Top

A few things that were not around in 1960.

[3x]

10:06 AM on 03/23/2012

Secretary.

Something that's not around today.

[jackstpaul]

05:15 PM on 03/22/2012

Aside from all the other flaws in this article's reasoning--pointed out by many here, this as an excellent example of the problem of arguing a point based on the notion of a statistical *average* as a benchmark.

The article positions Draper as "average" in his field, when clearly he is not.

He's in Manhattan
At a rising firm
He's a superstar in his field
He's the centerpoint of the sucess of the firm

He's not average, he's vastly superior in talent and performance--as a ficticiously defined in the show.

Aside from the problem of treating a superstar in his field as if he were merely average, the article gets facts wrong and ignores others: His job position is mistated, and they omit the fact that he's a partner.

This article would be an excellent example of flawed reasoning that can come from using "average" as a basis for analysis rather than looking at individual traits and factors to use in a school book for Jr. or Sr. High students.

[silverwing]

03:25 PM on 03/22/2012

Very clever, but it completely overlooks the fact that he's also paying rent in Greenwich Village (which would be astronomically expensive now), probably paying alimony / child support, and wining and dining etc. Then there's his suits and shoes, the rent on the office... it would be cool if those additional numbers were included too.

NY is such a fast-moving city and SO expensive to live/work in; I'd be curious about all the changes, not just this handful.

Good graphic, though.

[Spike5]

07:56 AM on 03/27/2012

As I recall, Betty's new husband told their lawyer she didn't want anything, that he would take care of her and the children, that he didn't want her beholden to him. And since she remarried immediately, probably no alimony in any case.

[silverwing]

07:16 PM on 03/27/2012

Ah, right you are.

But now that I've seen the premiere of season 5, I really want to know how much the new apartment would have cost!

Oh, who am I kidding... I don't care how much anything is; just want someone to throw money at me.

[3fingerbrown]

02:57 PM on 03/22/2012

Don got a big break that most guys in his position didn't: His ex-wife didn't get the house in the settlement, and she remarried immediately, getting him off the hook for alimony. I suppose he pays child support, but he got off really easy in the divorce.

In any respect, $133,000 seems awfully low for a senior partner in a NY ad agency with big-name national accounts.

And let's not forget the huge chunk of change he made on the merger.

[deluxebrand]

04:57 PM on 03/22/2012

"In any respect, $133,000 seems awfully low for a senior partner in a NY ad agency with big-name national accounts. "

you are right, that is very low...

[Mercandmary]

12:51 PM on 03/22/2012

Don Draper is not an Art Director, he's a Creative Director. More specifically, he's the agency's Chief Creative Officer and a partner. A person fitting that description at a mildly successful NY firm today would make significantly more than the inflation-adjusted amount.

[T Pol]

04:43 PM on 03/24/2012

Yes, the premise they are using is seriously flawed.

[MuyTejana]

12:07 PM on 03/22/2012

I've been watching the re-runs of Mad Men and can't wait for the new season. These people have become like part of my family. I'll catch myself thinking about them during the day and wonder what they're up to. (I'm retired and need to get out more!!)

[silverwing]

03:26 PM on 03/22/2012

That's sweet. :)

[Djay0252]

11:56 AM on 03/22/2012

This is a TV show for goodness sake...why is this in the news?....It is also on the cover of NewsWeek....let's get back to reality friends.

[silverwing]

03:28 PM on 03/22/2012

1. You're in the entertainment tab.
2. This online newspaper, as well as being free to access, provides a cross-section of interests on the "front page" which is refreshed frequently.
3. Financial matters and inflation ARE news - they're just using a fictional character as an example of how times have changed.

The fact that people can't afford to live in NY anymore without either being in the 1% or working 2-3 jobs is about as real as it gets.

[Djay0252]

04:26 PM on 03/22/2012

Then it should be in the form of a documentary...BUT then...nobody would watch it...Americans need to be entertained.

[MikeDu]

04:00 PM on 03/23/2012

I used to joke that if there was a big summer blockbuster 'killer hampter 'movie on the horizon we'd suddenly start getting 'news' reports about the hidden hampster menace.

[Djay0252]

05:25 PM on 03/23/2012

We humans need to get back into reality....and it will only get worse as technology improves.

[Donatella]

11:36 AM on 03/22/2012

$133K for a Wall Street Ad director? Seems low.

[bizzaro birdman]

10:59 AM on 03/22/2012

1%er! occupy mad men!