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.
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.
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.
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What is the average middle class income? In 2024, a large U.S. city's middle-class income averages between $52,000 and $155,000, with the median household income across all 345 cities at $77,345, making middle-class income limits fall between $51,558 and $154,590, SmartAsset noted.
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.
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.
One commonly used definition from the Pew Research Center sets a middle-class income between two-thirds and twice the national median income, or $67,819 to $203,458 for a family of four in 2022. Most Americans consider the lower end of that range, $75,000 and $100,000, to be middle class, according to the Post poll.
Upper middle class: Anyone with earnings in the 60th to 80th percentile would be considered upper middle class. Those in the upper middle class have incomes between $89,745 and $149,131. Upper class: Finally, the upper class is the top 20% of earners and they have incomes of $149,132 or higher.
The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households that earn between two-thirds and double the median U.S. household income, which was $65,000 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
However, new research from GOBankingRates shows that in some major U.S. cities, an annual income of $150,000 is only enough to qualify as “lower middle class.” This is especially pronounced in two Northern California cities and Arlington, Virginia.
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.
If you had an income of $200,000, that would put you in the top 12% of household incomes or the top 5% of individual incomes in 2022. Though I prefer household income over individual income, no matter how you cut it, $200k a year puts you on the higher end of the income spectrum.
In sociology, the upper middle class is the social group constituted by higher status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term lower middle class, which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class stratum, and to the broader term middle class.
How much do you need to earn to be in the top 5% income bracket? For those in the top 5%, the figure rises even more. According to the same research, those in the top 5% earned an average of $335,891 in 2021. This is an increase of around $19,000 from the previous year.
Conclusions. It's not surprising that those with more wealth tend to live longer than those with less. If you have more money, you probably have access to better health care as well as more nutritious foods. You also have less stress from worrying about money, and stress is a factor in mortality, as well.
Instead, California cities dominated the upper end of the list. It was Sunnyvale, a Bay Area city northwest of San Jose, that has the richest middle class range: you need a household salary of at least $113,176 to be “middle income.”
You'll need to earn more than half a million annually to be considered among the highest earning residents in 11 states and Washington, D.C. "This comes down to cost of living," Murray said.
The term upper class refers to a group of individuals who occupy the highest place and status in society. These people are considered the wealthiest, lying above the working and middle class in the social hierarchy.
As of Apr 26, 2024, the average annual pay for the Upper Class jobs category in the United States is $59,699 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $28.70 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,148/week or $4,974/month.
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