This drive of the American economy to expand is none more apparent than the 2015 wage statistics culled by the Social Security Administration (SSA) from more than 160 million people in the labor force. If you earned wages in 2015 that required you to pay the FICA tax, or you wound up netting payment from a deferred compensation plan, you're included in the SSA's wage statistics data.

In total, $7.145 trillion in compensation was earned during 2015 and subject to federal income taxes. Another $273.7 billion was also paid out by deferred compensation plans, such as a pension or a retirement plan (e.g., 401(k)). After exclusions, some $7.42 trillion in net compensation was paid to Americans in 2015. READ MORE