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$150k-a-year is needed to be middle-class in these 16 US states - how does YOURS compare?
It's an age-old question guaranteed to spark debate: what does it really take to be middle-class in modern day America?
According to a new study by personal finance website GoBankingRates, the answer has shifted dramatically in the last decade.
Its analysis shows the income needed to be considered middle-class ballooned nearly $15,000 from $35,364 in 2012 to $50,099 in 2022 - the most recent data available.
And the findings can vary even more depending on the state.
For example, households in Maryland to earn the most to be considered middle-class. The income bracket to hit the threshold ranges from $65,641 to $196,922.
By comparison, Mississippi has the lowest salary - between $35,323 to $105,970.
Households in Maryland need the highest salary of any US state to be considered middle-class. The income bracket to hit the threshold ranges from $65,641 to $196,922. Pictured: Baltimore, Maryland
The study defined middle-class as those with a household income that is two-thirds or double the median income in each state.
Its data was sourced from the 2012, 2017 and 2022 American Community Surveys by the US Census Bureau.
Oregon, Washington and Colorado have seen their economic make-up shift most dramatically in the last decade, the figures suggest.
The income range needed to be considered middle class rose more than 50 percent between 2012 and 2022.
The findings lay bare how much living costs have soared.
But the true answer is likely even higher in 2024 as red-hot inflation and the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes have battered households further still.
The rate of annual inflation - as tracked by to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) - hit 3.5 percent in March, down from a high of 9.1 percent in June 2022.
A separate report by NielsenIQ recently found that inflation has eroded around a third of the buying power of $100 at the grocery store in five years.
In 2019, the sum would have bought shoppers a healthy 32-item bag complete with milk, eggs, cereal, dish soap and more.
However today customers would have to take at least 10 of those products out of their basket to maintain the same budget.
By comparison, Mississippi has the lowest salary required to be considered middle-class, with households needing to earn between $35,323 to $105,970. Pictured: Jackson, Mississippi
A separate report by NielsenIQ recently found that inflation has eroded around a third of the buying power of $100 at the grocery store in five years
In response, the Fed has raised its funds rate to a 23-year-high to reign in consumer spending and thus bring down prices.
The Fed's benchmark rate has a knock-on effect on credit cards, mortgages and personal loans.
But households have some respite from soaring living costs in the form of higher wages.
Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show average US wages increased 4.2 percent in the 12 months to March 2024.