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REVEALED: The six cities where earning $200k-a-year is still only enough to be considered middle class
Earning $200,000 a year might seem like enough to live a life of luxury.
But in six of the 25 biggest US metros, rampant inflation in the past two years means this six-figure salary is only enough to be middle class.
In San Francisco, even a family earning more than $250,000 each year would be considered middle class earners - albeit though they would be among the top of the category.
In Washington DC, a city full of high-paid lawyers, politicians and consultants and likely just as many low-paid congressional staffers, it isn't much better. A household in the nation's capital can make as much as $235,000 and still be solidly in the middle class.
Earning just over $200,000 is what it takes in Seattle and Boston, both tech hubs like San Francisco.
One of the most common definitions of middle class - as specified by the Pew Research Center - is earning either two thirds of or twice the median income in their area.
The figures shown below represent double the median income in the listed cities.
If most Americans' paychecks even remotely reflected what these figures look like, there might not be cause for concern.
But ever since incomes peaked in 2019, the amount Americans earn at their jobs has been steadily going down for three straight years.
Runaway inflation ate away at the dollars in their pocket, with price growth hitting a 41-year-high in June 2022.
For the average person, the costs associated with basic food staples like meat and eggs skyrocketed post-pandemic.
Some families still struggle to stock their pantries for less than $400 a week.
Relatively new homeowners - beyond being saddled with elevated interest rates - are dealing with record high premiums to insure their house.
Refocusing on San Francisco, yes, incomes may be high, but the median home price hit $1.2 million in December 2023.
Jeff Rose, founder of Alliance Wealth Management, explained just how difficult making these numbers work can be, even for a household making $150,000, which is a fair bit higher than the median of $136,692.
'Monthly payments on a $1.2 million home, even with a substantial downpayment, could easily exceed $5,000 or more, depending on the mortgage terms and interest rates.
'This could account for more than 40 percent of your grossly monthly income if you make $150,000.'
Car insurance, too, is becoming a burden, with the average yearly premium hitting $2,019 in 2023 and forecast to increase 7 percent this year.
This is especially dire for the US, a nation more dependent on cars than many others.
Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, said: 'Many Americans are stuck somewhere between continued sticker shock from elevated prices, a lack of income gains and a feeling that their hopes and dreams are out of touch with their financial capabilities.'
Economists don't all agree on what truly constitutes a middle class salary, and there is certainly some contention with the Pew Research definition of a two thirds to double the median income range.
Say you live in Holmes County, Mississippi, which has one of the lowest median household incomes in the country at $28,818. Under this definition, you could make as little as $19,212 a year and technically be in the middle class.
It's important to note that not even the government has weighed in to officially define what middle class means.
Lawmakers are usually far more interested in classifying poverty and wealth.
San Francisco has the highest burden to be considered middle class under the Pew Research definition. A family earning more than $250,000 each year would be considered the tippy top of middle class earners
Washington DC wasn't close behind San Francisco, as a household bringing in more than $230,000 would be deemed middle class
In Seattle, pictured, a household could make as much as $214,000 per year and still be considered middle income
Boston families earning over $200,000 could still be considered middle class
For instance, the poverty line in the US for a family of four is $31,200 per year, according to Health and Human Services.
And President Joe Biden often talks about how he won't raise taxes on families making $400,000 or less, essentially revealing where he draws the line on who's wealthy and who's not.
But is the middle class really contained between $31,200 and $400,000?
Most economists and policy think tanks don't give a range that large.
So, perhaps it's better to go based on people's gut feelings of how much money they need to feel 'comfortable.'
A Bankrate survey found that the 'magic number' that the average American feels they would need to earn to be financially stable is $186,000 per year, which is far more than just double the typical US salary of $79,000.
Furthermore, only 6 percent of Americans say they are making enough to feel secure, with the majority believing they likely never will, the survey revealed.