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How much you REALLY need to earn to be considered middle-class in America's 20 largest cities
A middle-class lifestyle has become increasingly out-of-reach in recent years, as recent data shows how even the top 20 most populated metro areas have high thresholds for being considered a part of the economic grouping.
Take San Francisco, for instance, where an annual household income of about $85,000 is required, according to the 2022 Census. This was the highest salary needed to be considered middle class among the top 20 most populated metro areas.
Following close behind were the metros surrounding Washington, DC, Seattle and Boston, where incomes of $78,000, $71,000, and $70,000 are needed.
Denver and San Diego households considered middle-class tied for fifth-highest, with both requiring incomes of no less than $66,000 to meet the mark.
But these numbers represent the very bottom of the barrel when it comes to the classification, with thousands of households in the top three making more than $200,000 still considered middle-class.
A middle-class lifestyle has become increasingly out-of-reach in recent years - especially in certain cities scattered about the country. Some metros, like the one that surrounds Tampa (seen here), demand much less, with the Florida city only requiring $46,000 to meet the mark
Pictured: The average incomes needed to be considered middle class in the top 20 most populated metro areas
Pictured: The average incomes needed to be considered middle class in the top 20 most populated metro areas
That's because the term is defined as households earning somewhere between two-thirds and double the local median income.
In San Francisco's case, that's just under $130,000, the Census found.
Along with the Bay Area hive, Washington, DC, Seattle and Boston were the only other metros where $200,000 would not instantly propel you into the upper class - all requiring a few thousand more to meet that mark.
Similarly, you'd need $198,000 in Denver and San Diego to make that top economic tier.
Next up was another tie - this one between the metropolitan areas surrounding New York City and Minneapolis.
Despite their differences, both areas require households to make $61,000 to earn the middle-class distinction, with a maximum income of $183,000.
The eighth highest lower-middle class income belonged to The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland.
The eighth highest lower-middle class income belonged to The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland. There, households need to earn just over $60,000 to be considered for the classification
Rounding out the top ten was none other than Los Angeles (pictured), where $58,000 will earn residents the distinction of middle-class
The metro belonging to Boston (seen here) boasted one of the highest minimum middle-class incomes - $70,000 to be exact
There, households need to earn a little more than $60,000 to be considered for the classification.
Rounding out the top ten was none other than Los Angeles, where $58,000 will earn residents the distinction of being middle-class.
The 10 that followed were the US' other most populous metro area, ranging in size from the relatively small Miami to Houston, and the sprawling system of suburbs and cities that surround it.
Thus, the eleventh-highest minimum middle-class income metro belonged to Atlanta - the largest metropolitan area in the US Census Bureau's Southeast region.
A $57,000 income there is considered enough - almost $20,000 less than the real median household income of $74,580.
The area surrounding the City of Brotherly Love ranked next, with $56,000 deemed necessary to meet the middle-class marker.
The eleventh-highest minimum middle-class income metro belonged to the transport hub that is Atlanta - the largest metropolitan area in the Census Bureau's Southeast region. A $57,000 income there is considered enough - almost $20,000 less than the median household income
Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and the California communities near Riverside had a four-way tie, all having a minimum middle-class income threshold of $55,000.
Next was Houston, which required a combined salary of $50,000 per household to be considered middle class.
The final three were the metros surrounding Detroit, Miami and Tampa, in that order, where incomes of $48,000, $47,000 and $46,000 are necessary.
There were 421 metropolitan statistical areas across the U.S. as of July 2021.