Revealed: How Much You Have to Earn to Be ‘Middle Class’ in Your State

Staying in the middle class takes a lot of work, according to a new analysis. A look at the numbers from the website GOBankingRates.com found that it took a nearly 42 percent increase in income to remain in the middle class from 2012, the midpoint of the Obama administration, to...

Staying in the middle class takes a lot of work, according to a new analysis.

A look at the numbers from the website GOBankingRates.com found that it took a nearly 42 percent increase in income to remain in the middle class from 2012, the midpoint of the Obama administration, to 2022, the middle of the Biden administration.

The site published a state-by-state listing of what it takes to be in the middle class, defining the term as people with an income no less than two-thirds of the median income and no more than double that figure.

Although the national minimum to be in the middle class was $50,099 as of 2022, the numbers vary widely. For example, a Mississippi household earning $35,323 is considered middle class. In Maryland, however, the qualifying income is $65,641, according to the site’s calculations.

Over the decade-long period, Alaska had the smallest increase in income to stay in the middle class at almost 23 percent.

In Oregon, however, the bar to call oneself in the middle class rose by over 53 percent.

A report from Investopedia published in February said the middle class is shrinking, equating middle class with middle income.

That meant annual incomes of between $30,000 and $90,000 per year for single Americans, as well as $42,430 to $127,300 for a couple and $67,100 to $201,270 for a family of four.

A study by SmartAsset found that in a large American city, a middle-class income can fall anywhere between $52,000 and $155,000.

That analysis listed New Jersey, with a minimum middle class income of at least $64,224, as the state with the highest income needed to be in the middle class, followed by Maryland at $63,321 and Massachusetts at $62,986.

1. Oregon

2022 middle-class income range: $51,088 to $153,264
2012 middle-class income range: $33,357 to $100,072
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 53.15%

2. Washington

2022 middle-class income range: $60,217 to $180,650
2012 middle-class income range: $39,583 to $118,748
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 52.13%

3. Colorado

2022 middle-class income range: $58,399 to $175,196
2012 middle-class income range: $38,829 to $116,488
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 50.40%

4. California

2022 middle-class income range: $61,270 to $183,810
2012 middle-class income range: $40,933 to $122,800
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 49.68%

5. Idaho

2022 middle-class income range: $46,809 to $140,428
2012 middle-class income range: $31,343 to $94,030
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 49.34%

6. Utah

2022 middle-class income range: $57,889 to $173,666
2012 middle-class income range: $38,776 to $116,328
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 49.29%

7. Montana

2022 middle-class income range: $44,227 to $132,682
2012 middle-class income range: $30,304 to $90,912
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 45.95%

8. Tennessee

2022 middle-class income range: $42,690 to $128,070
2012 middle-class income range: $29,427 to $88,280
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 45.07%

9. Rhode Island

2022 middle-class income range: $54,247 to $162,740
2012 middle-class income range: $37,401 to $112,204
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 45.04%

10. Massachusetts

2022 middle-class income range: $64,337 to $193,010
2012 middle-class income range: $44,439 to $133,316
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 44.78%

11. Arizona

2022 middle-class income range: $48,387 to $145,162
2012 middle-class income range: $33,504 to $100,512
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 44.42%

12. Georgia

2022 middle-class income range: $47,570 to $142,710
2012 middle-class income range: $33,069 to $99,208
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 43.85%

13. Florida

2022 middle-class income range: $45,278 to $135,834
2012 middle-class income range: $31,539 to $94,618
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 43.56%

14. North Dakota

2022 middle-class income range: $49,306 to $147,918
2012 middle-class income range: $34,427 to $103,282
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 43.22%

15. Minnesota

2022 middle-class income range: $56,209 to $168,626
2012 middle-class income range: $39,417 to $118,252
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 42.60%

16. South Carolina

2022 middle-class income range: $42,415 to $127,246
2012 middle-class income range: $29,749 to $89,246
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 42.58%

17. North Carolina

2022 middle-class income range: $44,124 to $132,372
2012 middle-class income range: $30,967 to $92,900
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 42.49%

18. Texas

2022 middle-class income range: $48,690 to $146,070
2012 middle-class income range: $34,375 to $103,126
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 41.64%

19. Maine

2022 middle-class income range: $45,501 to $136,502
2012 middle-class income range: $32,146 to $96,438
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 41.54%

20. South Dakota

2022 middle-class income range: $46,305 to $138,914
2012 middle-class income range: $32,727 to $98,182
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 41.49%

21. Michigan

2022 middle-class income range: $45,670 to $137,010
2012 middle-class income range: $32,314 to $96,942
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 41.33%

22. Kentucky

2022 middle-class income range: $40,122 to $120,366
2012 middle-class income range: $28,407 to $85,220
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 41.24%

23. New York

2022 middle-class income range: $54,257 to $162,772
2012 middle-class income range: $38,455 to $115,366
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 41.09%

24. Hawaii

2022 middle-class income range: $63,209 to $189,628
2012 middle-class income range: $44,995 to $134,984
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 40.48%

25. Pennsylvania

2022 middle-class income range: $48,780 to $146,340
2012 middle-class income range: $34,845 to $104,534
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 39.99%

26. New Hampshire

2022 middle-class income range: $60,563 to $181,690
2012 middle-class income range: $43,283 to $129,850
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 39.92%

27. Nebraska

2022 middle-class income range: $47,815 to $143,444
2012 middle-class income range: $34,254 to $102,762
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 39.59%

28. Missouri

2022 middle-class income range: $43,947 to $131,840
2012 middle-class income range: $31,555 to $94,666
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 39.27%

29. Arkansas

2022 middle-class income range: $37,557 to $112,670
2012 middle-class income range: $27,021 to $81,062
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 38.99%

30. Indiana

2022 middle-class income range: $44,782 to $134,346
2012 middle-class income range: $32,249 to $96,748
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 38.86%

31. Ohio

2022 middle-class income range: $44,660 to $133,980
2012 middle-class income range: $32,164 to $96,492
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 38.85%

32. Alabama

2022 middle-class income range: $39,739 to $119,218
2012 middle-class income range: $28,773 to $86,320
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 38.11%

33. Iowa

2022 middle-class income range: $47,047 to $141,142
2012 middle-class income range: $34,086 to $102,258
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 38.03%

34. Illinois

2022 middle-class income range: $52,289 to $156,866
2012 middle-class income range: $37,902 to $113,706
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 37.96%

35. Wisconsin

2022 middle-class income range: $48,305 to $144,916
2012 middle-class income range: $35,085 to $105,254
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 37.68%

36. Virginia

2022 middle-class income range: $58,166 to $174,498
2012 middle-class income range: $42,424 to $127,272
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 37.11%

37. Oklahoma

2022 middle-class income range: $40,909 to $122,728
2012 middle-class income range: $29,927 to $89,782
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 36.70%

38. West Virginia

2022 middle-class income range: $36,811 to $110,434
2012 middle-class income range: $26,933 to $80,800
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 36.68%

39. Vermont

2022 middle-class income range: $49,343 to $148,028
2012 middle-class income range: $36,112 to $108,336
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 36.64%

40. Mississippi

2022 middle-class income range: $35,323 to $105,970
2012 middle-class income range: $25,921 to $77,764
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 36.27%

41. Kansas

2022 middle-class income range: $46,498 to $139,494
2012 middle-class income range: $34,182 to $102,546
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 36.03%

42. New Jersey

2022 middle-class income range: $64,751 to $194,252
2012 middle-class income range: $47,758 to $143,274
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 35.58%

43. Maryland

2022 middle-class income range: $65,641 to $196,922
2012 middle-class income range: $48,666 to $145,998
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 34.88%

44. Nevada

2022 middle-class income range: $47,764 to $143,292
2012 middle-class income range: $36,055 to $108,166
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 32.47%

45. Delaware

2022 middle-class income range: $52,883 to $158,650
2012 middle-class income range: $40,079 to $120,238
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 31.95%

46. New Mexico

2022 middle-class income range: $39,148 to $117,444
2012 middle-class income range: $29,924 to $89,772
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 30.82%

47. Connecticut

2022 middle-class income range: $60,142 to $180,426
2012 middle-class income range: $46,346 to $139,038
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 29.77%

48. Louisiana

2022 middle-class income range: $38,568 to $115,704
2012 middle-class income range: $29,782 to $89,346
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 29.50%

49. Wyoming

2022 middle-class income range: $48,330 to $144,990
2012 middle-class income range: $37,715 to $113,146
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 28.14%

50. Alaska

2022 middle-class income range: $57,580 to $172,740
2012 middle-class income range: $46,611 to $139,834
10-year change in middle-class income (%): 23.53%

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