SmartAsset Study Reveals Varying Middle Class Income Requirements Across US States and Cities

Rising living costs have left many working Americans uncertain about how far their salaries can go towards covering expenses these days. A new study by financial site SmartAsset examines the financial requirements to be considered middle class in 2024 for all fifty US states and three hundred forty-five of America’s biggest cities, utilizing data from recent reports issued by both the United States Census Bureau and Pew Research Center.
According to the analysis, a large city’s median household income falls between $52,000 and $155,000 annually in 2024. The middle-class earnings range for all three hundred forty-five cities is set at an average of seventy-seven thousand three hundred forty-five dollars ($77,345) yearly; consequently, income limitations required to qualify as midrange earners are estimated between fifty-one thousand five hundred and eighty dollars ($51,558) to one hundred fifty-four thousand five hundred ninety dollars ($154,590).
However, the exact salary requirements for middle class status vary significantly depending on where you live. New Jersey tops the list of states requiring the highest earnings levels at sixty-four thousand two hundred twenty-four dollars ($64,224) annually to be considered midrange earners and one hundred ninety-two thousand six hundred ninety-two dollars ($192,692) for upper class status. Other states ranking among the top five with salary requirements surpassing fifty thousand dollars per year include Maryland at sixty-three thousand three hundred twenty-one dollars ($63,321), Massachusetts at sixty-two thousand nine hundred eighty-six dollars ($62,986), Hawaii at sixty-one thousand six hundred thirty-three dollars ($61,633) and California at sixty-one thousand two hundred eighty-two dollars ($61,028).
On the other hand, Mississippi has the lowest middle class earnings in America. To be considered midrange earners here, one needs to make between thirty-five thousand one hundred forty-two dollars ($35,142) and one hundred five thousand four hundred sixty-eight dollars ($105,438); for context’s sake the lower states comprising West Virginia at thirty-six thousand two hundred sixteen dollars ($36,216), with a middle class earnings range of between thirty-six thousand nine hundred forty dollars ($36,940) and one hundred ten thousand eight hundred sixty-three dollars ($110,832); the report shows Louisiana completing its triad comprising bottom earners states in the U.S., requiring annual salaries ranging from thirty-six thousand nine hundred forty dollars to a maximum of one hundred five thousand four hundred sixty-eight dollars annually for middle class status.
In California’s Sunnyvale, residents need an income level exceeding one hundred eleven thousand three hundred seventeen dollars ($113,176) yearly to be considered midrange earners while earning approximately $339,562 will land you in the city’s upper class. Other California cities like Fremont and Santa Clara also require salaries surpassing one hundred thousand dollars annually for middle-class status; San Mateo requires a minimum annual income of over one hundred ten thousand eighty-eight dollars ($101,825). To view SmartAsset’s complete list, click here. This story was reported from Washington D.C..