What does “the middle class” actually mean, and does your income qualify where you live? The answer depends heavily on your state.
For a recent study, GOBankingRates used the Pew Research Center’s definition of middle class: income ranging from two-thirds to twice a state’s median household income. GOBankingRates then added data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey to produce a state-by-state breakdown of where the boundaries lie.
The data shows that the income required to be considered middle class varies dramatically across the country — sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars.
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Key Findings
- Middle-class income levels vary widely by state, with median incomes ranging from about $59,000 in Mississippi to $104,000 in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
- “Middle class” in coastal and Northeast states generally means much higher income levels. States such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, California, and Hawaii all have median middle-class incomes at or above $100,000.
- Southern states tend to have the lowest middle-class income thresholds, with Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, Arkansas and Kentucky consistently showing the lowest median and lower-bound incomes.
- The range between the lowest and highest middle-class incomes is large in every state, often exceeding $100,000, indicating that “middle class” covers a broad range of households rather than a narrow income band.
Read on for the state-by-state breakdown.
Also see the salary needed to be upper class.
Also See: What Class Do You Actually Belong To? The Income Breakdown Might Shock You
Alabama
- Lowest middle-class income: $44,439
- Highest middle-class income: $133,318
- Median income: $66,659
Alaska
- Lowest middle-class income: $63,777
- Highest middle-class income: $191,330
- Median income: $95,665
Arizona
- Lowest middle-class income: $54,324
- Highest middle-class income: $162,972
- Median income: $81,486
Arkansas
- Lowest middle-class income: $41,404
- Highest middle-class income: $124,212
- Median income: $62,106
California
- Lowest middle-class income: $66,766
- Highest middle-class income: $200,298
- Median income: $100,149
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5. California
Colorado
- Lowest middle-class income: $64,742
- Highest middle-class income: $194,226
- Median income: $97,113
Connecticut
- Lowest middle-class income: $64,033
- Highest middle-class income: $192,098
- Median income: $96,049
Delaware
- Lowest middle-class income: $58,356
- Highest middle-class income: $175,068
- Median income: $87,534
Florida
- Lowest middle-class income: $51,823
- Highest middle-class income: $155,470
- Median income: $77,735
Georgia
- Lowest middle-class income: $53,327
- Highest middle-class income: $159,982
- Median income: $79,991
Hawaii
- Lowest middle-class income: $67,163
- Highest middle-class income: $201,490
- Median income: $100,745
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Idaho
- Lowest middle-class income: $54,111
- Highest middle-class income: $162,332
- Median income: $81,166
Illinois
- Lowest middle-class income: $55,474
- Highest middle-class income: $166,422
- Median income: $83,211
Indiana
- Lowest middle-class income: $47,973
- Highest middle-class income: $143,918
- Median income: $71,959
Iowa
- Lowest middle-class income: $50,334
- Highest middle-class income: $151,002
- Median income: $75,501
Kansas
- Lowest middle-class income: $50,343
- Highest middle-class income: $151,028
- Median income: $75,514
Kentucky
- Lowest middle-class income: $43,017
- Highest middle-class income: $129,052
- Median income: $64,526
Louisiana
- Lowest middle-class income: $40,657
- Highest middle-class income: $121,972
- Median income: $60,986
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Maine
- Lowest middle-class income: $50,961
- Highest middle-class income: $152,884
- Median income: $76,442
Maryland
- Lowest middle-class income: $68,603
- Highest middle-class income: $205,810
- Median income: $102,905
Massachusetts
- Lowest middle-class income: $69,885
- Highest middle-class income: $209,656
- Median income: $104,828
Michigan
- Lowest middle-class income: $48,259
- Highest middle-class income: $144,778
- Median income: $72,389
Minnesota
- Lowest middle-class income: $58,078
- Highest middle-class income: $174,234
- Median income: $87,117
Mississippi
- Lowest middle-class income: $39,418
- Highest middle-class income: $118,254
- Median income: $59,127
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Missouri
- Lowest middle-class income: $47,726
- Highest middle-class income: $143,178
- Median income: $71,589
Montana
- Lowest middle-class income: $50,227
- Highest middle-class income: $150,680
- Median income: $75,340
Nebraska
- Lowest middle-class income: $50,917
- Highest middle-class income: $152,752
- Median income: $76,376
Nevada
- Lowest middle-class income: $54,089
- Highest middle-class income: $162,268
- Median income: $81,134
New Hampshire
- Lowest middle-class income: $66,521
- Highest middle-class income: $199,564
- Median income: $99,782
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New Jersey
- Lowest middle-class income: $69,529
- Highest middle-class income: $208,588
- Median income: $104,294
New Mexico
- Lowest middle-class income: $45,210
- Highest middle-class income: $135,632
- Median income: $67,816
New York
- Lowest middle-class income: $57,213
- Highest middle-class income: $171,640
- Median income: $85,820
North Carolina
- Lowest middle-class income: $49,305
- Highest middle-class income: $147,916
- Median income: $73,958
North Dakota
- Lowest middle-class income: $51,914
- Highest middle-class income: $155,742
- Median income: $77,871
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Ohio
- Lowest middle-class income: $48,141
- Highest middle-class income: $144,424
- Median income: $72,212
Oklahoma
- Lowest middle-class income: $44,099
- Highest middle-class income: $132,296
- Median income: $66,148
Oregon
- Lowest middle-class income: $56,813
- Highest middle-class income: $170,440
- Median income: $85,220
Pennsylvania
- Lowest middle-class income: $51,697
- Highest middle-class income: $155,090
- Median income: $77,545
Rhode Island
- Lowest middle-class income: $55,669
- Highest middle-class income: $167,008
- Median income: $83,504
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South Carolina
- Lowest middle-class income: $48,233
- Highest middle-class income: $144,700
- Median income: $72,350
South Dakota
- Lowest middle-class income: $51,254
- Highest middle-class income: $153,762
- Median income: $76,881
Tennessee
- Lowest middle-class income: $47,998
- Highest middle-class income: $143,994
- Median income: $71,997
Texas
- Lowest middle-class income: $53,147
- Highest middle-class income: $159,442
- Median income: $79,721
Utah
- Lowest middle-class income: $64,439
- Highest middle-class income: $193,316
- Median income: $96,658
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Vermont
- Lowest middle-class income: $55,153
- Highest middle-class income: $165,460
- Median income: $82,730
Virginia
- Lowest middle-class income: $61,393
- Highest middle-class income: $184,180
- Median income: $92,090
Washington
- Lowest middle-class income: $66,259
- Highest middle-class income: $198,778
- Median income: $99,389
West Virginia
- Lowest middle-class income: $40,532
- Highest middle-class income: $121,596
- Median income: $60,798
Wisconsin
- Lowest middle-class income: $51,659
- Highest middle-class income: $154,976
- Median income: $77,488
Wyoming
- Lowest middle-class income: $50,355
- Highest middle-class income: $151,064
- Median income: $75,532
Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed every U.S. state using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 one-year American Community Survey to determine the household income required to fall within the middle class. Following Pew Research Center’s definition–which classifies middle-class income as ranging from two-thirds to twice a state’s median household income–the study used each state’s median income to calculate the corresponding minimum and maximum qualifying thresholds. All data was collected on Jan. 21, 2026.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much Money Makes You Middle Class in Your State in 2026?
