I didn't say full time high school graduates. I said factory jobs. The average starting pay here is roughly 25/hr which is >50k/yr. It's pretty easy to work up to 35+/hr in just a few years. If you get into a foreman position, you can be making upwards of 90 per year and supervisor roles are typically 6 figures.

I'd consider 75k/yr "high 5 figures" and this is extremely doable where I'm from. It's not a major metro, just an average industrial city near a port. Everyone in my family does factory work and has done so for 3 generations, I'm the only one in tech.

There are indeed plenty of folks out there making less than 40/yr. They are almost exclusively temp/contract labors with poor work ethic. The people who are dependable typically get hired on full time which comes with a significant pay increase and full benefits.