Close to one-third of Democratic Socialists of America members make more than $100K
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have been known to advocate for the working class and rail against the one percent. However, a newly surfaced internal survey reveals that a significant portion of DSA members are actually part of the affluent class, with close to a third of them earning six-figure incomes.
According to the 2021 survey, approximately 28% of DSA members reported incomes exceeding $100,000. Additionally, 56% of members hold white-collar jobs in academia, tech, the public or non-profit sector, healthcare, or other cushy office positions. The majority of DSA members, over 80%, are college educated, with 35% holding advanced degrees, which is more than double the national average.
Some notable DSA members include individuals like Ahmed Husain, an engineer from Bahrain residing in New York City, Leemah Nasrati, an immigration attorney leading anti-ICE trainings, and Hanna Johnson, a DSA leader who also serves as State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher’s deputy chief of staff. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, known as the DSA’s poster boy, comes from a wealthy background, with family wealth that includes a lavish compound in Uganda featured in his mother’s film “Mississippi Masala.”
Despite advocating for taxing the rich and promoting Karl Marx’s theory of class struggle, the DSA’s own demographics reveal a level of hypocrisy. Critics point out that the group’s wealthy members do not necessarily represent the working class they claim to support, with only a small percentage having blue-collar jobs or working in service industries.
The DSA experienced a demographic shift in the mid-2010s, attracting a younger membership base inspired by Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. The organization, which reached 100,000 members in February, saw a drop in median age from 68 in 2013 to 33 in 2021, with the majority being Millennials or Gen Z individuals.
Despite their financial comfort, a significant portion of DSA members have contributed personal funds to the organization or purchased merchandise. However, the group’s representation of black members falls short at 4%, well below the 15% share of the American population. On the other hand, DSA members exhibit higher rates of non-binary (10%) and LGBTQIA+ (32%) identification compared to the general population.
While the DSA did not respond to requests for comment on these findings, the survey sheds light on the disparities between the group’s rhetoric and the actual demographics of its membership.
