According to Pew Research Center, the number of middle class households has steadily declined over the past 50 years. As a result, more families have moved into either the upper or lower income tax brackets.
What complicates the issue somewhat is that you might easily be considered middle class in one city, but not another. Here, we share what it takes to be considered middle class in 20 metro areas across the country.
Honey, I shrunk the middle class
In 1971, 61% of American households were considered middle class. Since that time, the percentage has steadily declined. Today, it’s estimated that 50% of households are middle class. The term “middle class” is used by Pew Research to describe individuals whose household income amounts to two-thirds to double the national median for households of the same size.
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. But it’s not the amount of money a household earns that matters so much, but rather what they can do with that money. Given how much higher the cost of living is in some areas of the country than others, hitting middle class can be more difficult.
Where you live makes a (huge) difference
When CNBC crunched 2021 U.S. Census Bureau data, it became clear how much harder it can be to keep money in your checking account in some of the most populous U.S. metros.
| Metro Area | Income required to be classified middle class |
|---|---|
| New York, Newark, Jersey City, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania metro area | $56,000 to $169,000 |
| Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim, California | $55,000 to $165,000 |
| Chicago, Naperville, and Elgin, Illinois area | $52,000 to $156,000 |
| Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington, Texas metroplex | $51,000 to $152,000 |
| Houston, The Woodlands, and Sugar Land, Texas area | $47,000 to $142,000 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia metro area | $74,000 to $221,000 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland metro region | $53,000 to $160,000 |
| Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, Florida | $43,000 to $128,000 |
| Atlanta, Sandy Springs, and Alpharetta, Georgia | $52,000 to $155,000 |
| Boston, Cambridge, and Newton, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire metro region | $67,000 to $202,000 |
| Phoenix metro, including Mesa and Chandler, Arizona | $50,000 to $151,000 |
| San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley, California area | $77,000 to $232,000 |
| Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ontario, California area | $51,000 to $154,000 |
| Detroit, Warren, and Dearborn, Michigan | $45,000 to $134,000 |
| Seattle metro area, including Tacoma and Bellevue, Washington | $68,000 and $203,000 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin region | $58,000 to $175,000 |
| San Diego, Chula Vista and Carlsbad, California | $61,000 to $182,000 |
| Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg and Clearwater, Florida | $42,000 to $126,000 |
| Denver, Aurora, and Lakewood, Colorado metro region | $60,000 to $181,000 |
| Baltimore, Columbia, and Towson, Maryland metro areas | $58,000 to $173,000 |
