Assalamu alaykum - Marriage and Financial Expectations

Assalamu alaykum. I’m a revert brother earning around an average income in the US. Right now a bit below the median, so about half of Americans make more than me. I’ve been thinking about what it takes to comfortably provide for a wife, and by some measures I’d need to be in the top 39% of earners; to support a family of four without constant financial stress I’d be looking at being in the top 25%. I’m trying to understand what practical guidance Islam gives here. If men are encouraged to avoid entering romantic or marital relationships until they’re financially stable, what’s the realistic solution? Do we stop having so many people in skilled trades-tilers, carpenters, construction workers, manufacturing staff, food production, teachers, caregivers, paramedics-because they don’t make top-quartile incomes? Are women expected to take on higher-paying roles so husbands can aim for those incomes? If the expectation is that a man must be among the top 25% of earners to marry in the US, would that mean women must be judged by similarly unrealistic standards of appearance or status? That seems like it would leave many people single or force compromises. I’d appreciate perspectives from fellow Muslims: how have others balanced Islamic principles about provision and responsibility with the economic realities here? What practical steps or community supports exist to help brothers who are hardworking but not high earners to get married and build stable families?