meaning - "Jane makes over six figures" - how much money does she make?

Suppose you are told that "Jane makes over six figures". Assuming this to be true, what is the minimum amount of money that Jane can be making?

I have always understood this to mean "Jane makes at least seven figures", i.e. "Jane makes at least $1,000,000", but I have recently learned that some people understand this to mean "Jane makes more than the smallest six-figure number", i.e. "Jane makes at least $100,001".

Which of these interpretations is more widely understood?

Which of these interpretations is prescriptively correct (if either)?

(I am aware that there are unambiguous ways to express the same idea, but that is beside the point here.)

Comments

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