I have a question about when to use plural vs. singular 'possessionals' with plural-referent 'possessor nouns'. I know this is determined case-by-case; this case involves avoiding repetition in a comparison between two income groups.
Singular/Plural: Participation was three times higher among adults with an annual household income of $45,000 to $60,000 than those with incomes of $90,000 or more.
Plural/Plural: Participation was three times higher among adults with annual household incomes of $45,000 to $60,000 than those with incomes of $90,000 or more.
Plural/Singular: Participation was three times higher among adults with an annual household income of $45,000 to $60,000 than those with an income of $90,000 or more.
Plural/Singular with no deletion: Participation was three times higher among adults with an annual household income of $45,000 to $60,000 than [among] those with an annual household income of $90,000 or more.
My instinct is to go with singular/plural. The first instance should be singular, as each subject can only have one household income. We want to avoid repetition in the second instance because we have character count restrictions, but without the specificity “those with an income” (singular) could make it sound like we’ve switched to talking about individual incomes. My tenuous justification for making it plural is that multiple incomes may contribute to one’s household income; therefore, the first option is best. What do we think?