For all that Don must make plenty of money, drives the big Caddy, has household help, etc., the Draper house seems like nothing special.  Am I wrong?  It isn't just the decorating.

True. But Don is from the Depression generation, and those folks I think had a different way of looking at things. The way he hoards cash in locked drawers. The way he hemmed and hawed before buying the Cadillac, something he could have afforded without a second thought.

It's almost anathema to this current generation of running everything up on credit, but there was a time when one tried not to buy things they couldn't pay for and they saved money for a rainy day - or several rainy days in Don's case.

Yes, King, good point and my parents were like that.  Even so, even so, my house growing up was better than theirs and we were far from rich.  I guess I have to let this go, but I always notice it when I watch.  :-)

I don't think Don wants to let Betty know just how much he makes. He's still not 100% commited to the Don Draper life. Betty knows that they're upper, upper middle class, but nothing more. Any time she asks Don about finances, he gives her a curt, "You'll be taken care of."
He had $5K squirreled away in that drawer before he became a partner (which he gave to Adam as basically "hush money"). I believe this was his "getaway" money should he need to start over with a new life. I'm sure there's quite a bit more than $5K in it now. That may come as quite a shock to Betty if she ever manages to jimmie that lock. I recall a similar scene in The Sopranos where Tony's wife discovered his cache buried under the birdfeed.

How rich is Don?

I pulled from an inflation calculator based on his share of SC -

What cost $500,000 in 1963 would cost $3,480,008.07 in 2008.
Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2008 and 1963,
they would cost you $500,000 and $73,684.58 respectively.

The price of his  Caddi was $7,500 in 63 so that would be $55,200 in today’s dollars. 

But he would have also been hit hard by the tax man -

For 1954-1963, the highest tax rate was subject to a maximum effective rate limitation equal to 87% of statutory "taxable income."

I think Pete and Harry were bitching about the high tax rate on upper earners by the water cooler asking what was the point "you're just working for the government."

I still think their house is very modest.  Their bedroom looks positively crowded.

Hi Becky, I'm wondering where you are from.  It's the property cost in Westchester County that makes it one of the expensive places to live in the country.  You can have a really nice house in other places because the property is cheaper.  I grew up across the Hudson River on the poor side.  We had a tiny ranch house where we were always on top of each other.  Ossining/ Tarrytown is on the main rail line to NYC, and it is a quick trip.  Today a 3 bedroom split level house goes for $750,000.  Don's 4 bedroom colonial is $1 million.  A doctor friend of mine bought his one bedroom apartment in Manhattan for $1 million. Location, location, location!

Um, Midwest.  I suppose that's it.

The Drappers would have been considered upper middle class. Families that can afford many things but still need to shop on the big items.

When Betty went to her doctor and hinted that she was thinking about ending her pregnancy, he acted surprised and said that she and Don were a family "of means."  So I think there is some perception of their wealth in the community.

The neighborhood gossip on the show is always envious of Don and Betty.  They have the Cadillac, the dog, the kids...and no, the House isn't a mansion, but it is a very nice house.  Probably better than those of their neighbors.  Because of his shady past and his years growing up during the Depression, I think Don wears the belt tightly most of the time but loosens it up when necessary.

Has anyone noticed Betty's expression sometimes when she first walks into her house.  Compared to her parent's house, it is a bit small and typical.  She often looks like she is dissatisfied with her home. 
I think it's so funny how every now and then she shakes at Don's secret drawer, and makes that face of irritation/disgust!

betty is the typical WASP upper-middle class bored housewife of the '60's who doesn't realize just how good she DOES have it.

I think it should also be noted that there really wasn't as much spread in income levels as there is today.  Remember, the show reflects a time when professional athletes made about as much as a well educated professional.  It was also before the explosion of wealth that occurred after the financial industry became much more aggressive.  In 1963 my parents purchased a 3 bedroom ranch house in Toronto for about $23,000.  We lived about two miles away from a neighborhood with the city's greatest amount of wealth.  There, you could purchase a huge spread on a couple of acres for about $100,000.  Everything, I suppose, was relative to the time.

What salary do we think Don pulls down?  Has that been discussed before?  Did he make as much as a doctor or dentist?

In last night's episode, "The Color Blue", Don gets his signing bonus of $5000.  That's $35,000 in today's money.  I don't know about the rest of you, but to me, it is a huge amount of money.

$5,000 in today's money ain't exactly chicken feed, either!

So true, jkerouac, so true.  I just had a dental implant done, followed by a permanent crown.  Bill:  $4200.  The pain was not in the procedure.

I just had a dental implant too, jackspratt!  But mine cost $6000 in all, including the "flipper" I had to wear. Not that I wanted to win the contest, ugh.  Anyway, I looked around the Draper house intently last night and I still say it's very very modest for his earnings.

rnch-

betty is the typical WASP upper-middle class bored housewife of the '60's who doesn't realize just how good she DOES have it.

I disagree.  Even before Betty discovered the truth about Don is was unhappy and rightfully so.  She married a cad, someone who treats her worse than a child.  She has no partner in her husband and no opportunity for growth. 

Some of the most unhappy people I’ve known have an abundance of wealth and creature comforts.  That said it’s much better to be unhappy with money in the bank then depressed and poor.

Ouch!  Sorry you took that hit Becky.  It seems way too much money for the proceedure.  But mine was a front tooth so I had to do it.

I've been in some beautiful big midwestern homes.  I know that don's doesn't look that big.  I did some work in that county.  A four bedroom home in walking distance of the train station would sell today for one million.  The property is just that valuable.

I agree with James, for Betty, it's not about being taken care of. In fact, just about everything that Don thinks he's providing for her isn't what she wants. To make matters even more vexing, neither she nor anyone around her knows what she want's either. But shes does know what she doesn't like - like most of us her character is largely reactive to the forces around her.