A burning question surrounding the 1990 Christmas classic “Home Alone” has finally been answered by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Just how rich is the McCallister family? It’s a question The New York Times now has an answer to as the Federal Reserves has determined Kevin MCallister’s family is in the one percent of Chicago residents based on the value of their home.
Per The Times: “In 1990, the house was affordable only for the top 1 percent of Chicago household incomes, and that would still be the case today, according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago…the home would have been affordable to a household with an income of $305,000 in 1990 (about $665,000 in 2022).”
So there you have it. Peter (John Heard) and Kate McCallister (Catherine O’Hara) would’ve been earning at least $305,000 annually in 1990 (or about $665,000 in 2022) to afford the house, which is located on the North shore of Chicago. Zillow estimated in 2022 that the house was worth about $2.4 million. No wonder thieves Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) specifically target the McCallister home as the one to rob in the film.
“That’s the one, Marv, that’s the silver tuna,” Harry says in the movie, realizing the McCallister are wealthy and their home must contain a lot “top-flight goods.”
Fans have long speculated on how rich the McCallister family is, mainly because it’s not cheap to take 15 family members on a Christmas vacation to Paris. That’s the inciting incident that leaves the young Kevin home alone, although wealth clearly runs in the family as Kevin says his uncle paid for the family’s plane tickets.
“Home Alone” never reveals what Kevin’s parents do for a living, although it’s long been assumed that mother Kate worked as a fashion designer given the home has mannequins in it.
Head over to The New York Times’ website to read its full breakdown of the McCallister family’s income.
