Here’s what income range is considered middle class in 20 U.S. cities (2024)

In the U.S., the term “middle class” is commonly used to refer to individuals whose household income falls within a specific range. Pew Research defines middle class or middle-income Americans as those with an annual household income of two-thirds to double the national median (albeit adjusted for household size).

Advantages of a Middle Class Income

Middle class families typically have access to quality education, healthcare and other financial resources that allow them to live comfortably. Generally speaking, middle class Americans are not wealthy but can afford necessities and a few luxuries. They are able to save for retirement, buy a home, send their children to college and take vacations.

Here’s what income range is considered middle class in 20 U.S. cities (1)

According to a recent Gallup Poll, approximately half of adults in the U.S. consider themselves middle class. However, as the cost of living continues to rise, the American middle class is slowly shrinking, leading to an increasing gap between the wealthy and the poor.

Middle Class Defined by Region

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median income in 2021 was $70,784. So American families earning between $47,189 and $141,568 are technically in the middle class, according to the Pew Research Center’s definition.

However, other factors must be considered. For example, your family size and the cost of living in your area will largely determine whether your income provides a middle class lifestyle.

Here’s what income range is considered middle class in 20 U.S. cities (2)

CNBC used U.S. Census Bureau data to determine what a middle class income really is for the 20 most populous U.S. metros. Their analysis used data from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey to determine the following middle class income ranges:

  • In the New York/Newark/Jersey City, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania metro area, families making between $56,000 and $169,000 are considered middle class.
  • The range in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim, California, falls between $55,000 and $165,000.
  • For the Chicago, Naperville and Elgin, Illinois area, $52,000 to $156,000 is middle-income.
  • In the Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington, Texas metroplex, $51,000 to $152,000 is the range.
  • Nearby, in the Houston, The Woodlands and Sugar Land, Texas area, middle class income dips to between $47,000 and $142,000.
  • In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia metro area, families making between $74,000 and $221,000 are middle-income.
  • For the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland metro region, it ranges from $53,000 to $160,000.
  • In the Florida metros of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, families making between $43,000 and $128,000 are considered middle class.
  • In Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Alpharetta, Georgia, families making between $52,000 and $155,000 are middle-income.
  • For the Boston, Cambridge and Newton, Massachusetts and New Hampshire metro region, the range is $67,000 to $202,000.
  • In the Phoenix metro, including Mesa and Chandler, Arizona, $50,000 to $151,000 is the middle-income range.
  • In California’s Bay Area of San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, families making between $77,000 and $232,000 are considered middle class.
  • For California’s Inland Empire region of Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario, the range falls between $51,000 and $154,000.
  • In Detroit, Warren and Dearborn, Michigan, $45,000 to $134,000 is middle income.
  • In the Seattle metro area, including Tacoma and Bellevue, Washington, families making between $68,000 and $203,000 are considered middle class.
  • For the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin region, families making between $58,000 to $175,000 are middle income.
  • The range in San Diego, Chula Vista and Carlsbad, California, is $61,000 to $182,000.
  • For Florida’s Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg and Clearwater, middle income falls between $42,000 and $126,000.
  • The range in the Denver, Aurora and Lakewood, Colorado metro region is between $60,000 and $181,000.
  • And for the Baltimore, Columbia and Towson, Maryland metro areas, $58,000 to $173,000 is middle income.

If you’re still wondering where your household income falls, CNN Money provides an interactive calculator that lets you find out based on your annual income and the county where you live.

By Tricia Goss, for Scripps News.

Scripps Newsis the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. Youcan find Scripps News using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free.See all the ways you can watch Newsy here:https://scrippsnews.com/where-to-watch/

This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for product reviews and other great ideas to save and make money.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Here’s what income range is considered middle class in 20 U.S. cities (2024)

FAQs

Here’s what income range is considered middle class in 20 U.S. cities? ›

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median income in 2021 was $70,784. So American families earning between $47,189 and $141,568 are technically in the middle class, according to the Pew Research Center's definition.

What income is considered middle class in USA? ›

What does this all mean? By the Census data, it means that if you earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, you are considered middle class.

Is $52,000 a year considered middle class? ›

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in 2022 was $74,580. That means American households with incomes ranging from as little as $49,719 to $149,160 are technically considered middle class. Nationally, that is.

What is considered middle class Bay Area? ›

Three out of the top five cities with the highest income thresholds for the middle class are located in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. These middle income residents need to make at least $81,623 in San Francisco, $84,673 in San Jose and $104,499 in Fremont.

What is considered middle class income in Texas? ›

According to their study, to be considered middle class in Texas, a family of four must earn $66,597 -- which ranks 30th among all states.

What salary is upper middle class? ›

Middle class: Those in the 40th to 60th percentile of household income, ranging from $55,001 to $89,744. Upper middle class: Households in the 60th to 80th percentile, with incomes between $89,745 and $149,131. Upper class: The top 20% of earners, with household incomes of $149,132 or more.

What is upper class salary? ›

In 2020, according to Pew Research Center analysis, the median for upper income households was around $220,000 and the median for middle income households was slightly above $90,000.

What income is no longer middle class? ›

Middle-class income currently ranges from a little under $40,000 to a little over $119,000. The definition of middle class extends beyond income to factors like education, location and marital status.

Is 70k a year middle class? ›

According to the Pew Research Center, the middle class includes Americans making between $38,133 and $114,400 in 2023.

What is middle class income today? ›

In this analysis, “middle-income” adults in 2021 are those with an annual household income that was two-thirds to double the national median income in 2020, after incomes have been adjusted for household size, or about $52,000 to $156,000 annually in 2020 dollars for a household of three.

What is the highest-earning community in the US? ›

70% of the Indian-American population in America holds a bachelor's degree. Harsh Goenka has explained why Indians are the highest-earning ethnic group in the USA. The chairman of RPG Enterprises shared a chart that shows Indian Americans having the highest median household income in the country.

What is a livable salary in San Francisco? ›

In cities like San Francisco, the cost of living comfortably exponentially increased over the past year, from roughly $74,000 in 2022 to about $84,000 in 2023, Snider says.

What is middle class income for a single person? ›

Earnings among this group are between $28,008 and $55,000. Middle class: The middle class is officially those whose earnings put them in the 40th to 60th percentile of household income. The income range is $55,001 to $89,744.

What is middle class in California? ›

The Sept. 8 report said the minimum annual income required in 2023 for a family of four to be middle class in California is $69,064.

What are the 5 income classes? ›

Where you rank by income
  • Lower class: less than or equal to $30,000.
  • Lower-middle class: $30,001 – $58,020.
  • Middle class: $58,021 – $94,000.
  • Upper-middle class: $94,001 – $153,000.
  • Upper class: greater than $153,000.
Feb 3, 2024

What is a livable salary in Texas? ›

If you multiply the hourly figure by 40 hours a week and 52 weeks, you'll get the living wage as an annual salary. For an individual with no kids, that comes out to around $43,500. That income would pay for rent and utilities, minimal food, healthcare, child care, and other basics.

Is $75000 a year middle class? ›

Most Americans consider the lower end of that range, $75,000 and $100,000, to be middle class, according to the Post poll.

How do you define upper class? ›

The term upper class is a socioeconomic term used to describe those who reside on the highest levels of the social ladder above the middle and working or lower classes. They generally have the highest status in society and hold a great deal of wealth.

What is upper middle class income 2024? ›

What Defines the Upper Middle Class? If going by households in the 60th to 80th percentile of household income, that would mean the upper middle class includes households with incomes between $89,745 and $149,131.

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