Are You Middle Class? Find Out Where Your Income Ranks

While it’s a popular political refrain to say the middle class is shrinking, we all wonder how we compare to our neighbors and to the generations that came before us. About half of all U.S. adults–52%–were considered middle class in 2022, according to a Pew Research Center study that was published in 2024.

But how many people “think” they are middle class can vary. Where you fall depends on a few factors such as where you live, current inflation, and what you do for a living.

Key Takeaways

• Households with annual incomes between $56,600 and $169,800 as of 2022 are middle class, according to the Pew Research Center.
• 54% of Americans think they are middle class, according to a Gallup poll.
• More than half of all people over age 25 with at least a bachelor’s degree are considered middle class.

What’s Middle Class?

Pew Research Center defined middle-class households as those with annual incomes between $56,600 and $169,800 as of 2022. (This applies to a three-person household.) That’s a pretty broad range.

The U.S. Census Bureau found that the national median household income was $80,610 in 2023. The most common calculation defines the middle class as earning from two-thirds to double this median amount. That would put it between $54,009 and $161,220, an equally broad divide.

Where Do You Fit in?

In a 2024 study, Gallup found that 54% of Americans think they are middle class. (Of this 54%, more than half think they are “middle class” and 15% think they are “upper-middle class.”) Some of them might have been wrong. Many factors determine your income level. Your location, job, and educational background are important variables.

Where Do You Live?

The top 10 metropolitan areas with the biggest shares of middle-class residents are small to midsize cities, and they’re mostly located in the northern U.S. Six in 10 residents of these cities were middle class. The city with the biggest share of middle-class residents was Dover, Delaware, with 65% of its residents fitting into the middle-class category.

The middle-class income range is $59,913 to $179,740 in California. Compare that to $38,626 to $115,300 in Louisiana and $74,370 to $222,000 in Washington, D.C.

Five states lack a minimum wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Two other states, Wyoming and Georgia, have a minimum wage that’s lower than the federal minimum wage. Because of this, these seven states use the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour.)

Pew Research Center provides a handy calculator that lets you plug in your personal information to determine if you’re middle class.

What Is Your Job and Level of Education?

Your job and education level also play a significant part in the calculation. About half (52%) of all people over age 25 with at least a bachelor’s degree were considered middle class in 2022 and about a third (35%) lived in upper-income households. About a third of those working in the transportation, construction, personal care, and food industries lived in lower-income households.

Middle Class Then and Now

Another shifting factor in determining the middle class is the inflation rate. The number of middle-class households has been shrinking over decades, according to the Pew Research Center. The number of Americans living in middle-class households dropped by 10% between 1971 and 2023, from 61% to 51%.

From 2002 to 2006, 61% of Americans thought they were living in middle-class or upper-middle-class households, according to Gallup. That number dropped to 56% when the Great Recession hit in 2008. It’s declined a bit more since then, hitting 53% as of 2024.

Other Factors

Men were a bit more likely than women to fall into the middle class (53% vs. 51% in 2022).

8 out of 10 married couples lived in either middle-income or upper-income households in 2022.

U.S. veterans are slightly more likely to fall into the middle-class category in 2022 compared to non-veterans (57% vs. 53%, respectively).

The Bottom Line

There’s only so much your income level can tell you. If you’re truly middle class, certain bills will hurt more than others, especially if you’re living beyond your means—and many people are. The good news is that you might have sufficient income to save and invest if you set a budget and carefully keep to it month after month.

If your goal is to save for your future—such as your retirement—then keep track of your expenses. Consider canceling your gym membership to free up cash. You also might be able to ask for a raise at work or even change jobs. Though your income doesn’t define you, it does affect certain areas of your life—so be mindful of how you spend it.