How Much You Need To Earn To Rank in the Top 10% of Your State

We’d like to think that everyone earns a living wage and there’s more than enough to go around. Yet in every state, there are people who live paycheck to paycheck and at the same time, there are others who earn in the top 10%, leaving a sizable gap between them.

And between states, the median household income and the wages earned by the top 10% vary greatly. To help highlight the money disparities, GOBankingRates analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data from the 2022 American Community Survey to determine the top quintile (20%) income and the amount earned by the top 10% of earners in each state. GOBankingRates then compared this figure to the overall median household income in the U.S. for context.

If you’re looking to earn more and have some flexibility to relocate, you can check out the average salaries in nearby states to see if you might be able to boost your income. Even if you remain in your home state, there are plenty of jobs that pay far above the median incomes listed below.

Also see the median salary of Americans your age in every state.

• Median income: $59,609
• Top 10% income: $211,617

The top 10% earners in Alabama make 255% — or $152,008 more — than those who make the median household income.

• Median income: $86,370
• Top 10% income: $259,276

Top earners in Alaska earn three times the amount of the median income and 200% more than the median income.

• Median income: $72,581
• Top 10% income: $245,481

Arizona has a significant wealth gap between average earners and the top 10%, who pull down 239% more than the median income. That translates to a $172,900 difference between median and top 10% earners.

• Median income: $56,335
• Top 10% income: $205,342

Arkansas’ median income is almost $19,000 less than the national average, but earners in the top 10% pull down 265% more than the average earner.

• Median income: $91,905
• Top 10% income: $341,276

Living in pricey California requires a big income and the top 10% earn an average of $341,276 — almost $68,000 above the national average for the top 10%.

• Median income: $87,598
• Top 10% income: $289,682

The gap between average and top earners in Colorado is significant at $202,084, about $4,000 over the national average for top 10% earners.

• Median income: $90,213
• Top 10% income: $346,894

Connecticut has the second-highest top 10% income. However, its median household income ranks only eighth, with the top 10% bringing in 3.85 times the median household income.

• Median income: $79,325
• Top 10% income: $254,449

In Delaware, the paycheck of the median earner exceeds the national average. However, the top 10% figure falls about $19,000 below the benchmark.

• Median income: $67,917
• Top 10% income: $253,154

Median earners in Florida bring in about $7,000 less than the national average and the top 10% group doesn’t fare any better. The top 10% earners have annual incomes of about $20,000 less than the national average.

• Median income: $71,355
• Top 10% income: $254,523

In terms of dollar amount, the gap between the top 10% earners and the median salary averages $183,168 per year.

• Median income: $94,814
• Top 10% income: $296,125

For a state where everything is more expensive, Hawaii has one of the smallest gaps between the top and median earners at 212%.

• Median income: $70,214
• Top 10% income: $225,262

The gap between median and top earners in Idaho is 221% or $155,048 per year.

• Median income: $78,433
• Top 10% income: $279,446

Workers in Illinois earn slightly more than the median and top 10% national averages. But that translates into a whopping $201,013 higher average earnings for those who fall in the top 10%.

• Median income: $67,173
• Top 10% income: $216,840

The gap between top and median earners in Indiana is considerably less than in neighboring Illinois, coming in at $149,667.

• Median income: $70,571
• Top 10% income: $221,359

Median earners in Iowa are making just about $5,000 less than the national average. The top 10% of earners have wages that are 3.14 times higher than that median group.

• Median income: $69,747
• Top 10% income: $233,550

Kansas’s top 10% earns 235% more than its median earners on average.

• Median income: $60,183
• Top 10% income: $211,084

Kentucky, like several other Southern states, has a relatively low median income — the seventh lowest in the study, which makes the top 10% wage gap even bigger, at 251%.

• Median income: $57,852
• Top 10% income: $217,082

Louisiana’s median income is lower than Kentucky’s — it’s the fourth lowest overall — but the wage gap between the top 10% and the median earner is even higher, at 275%, the third biggest wage gap in the country.

• Median income: $68,251
• Top 10% income: $225,290

If you earn the median income in Maine and want to jump up to the top 10% of earners, you’ll need to raise your salary by 230%.

• Median income: $98,461
• Top 10% income: $317,322

The average salary of the top 10% earners in Maryland is the sixth highest in the study — and 222% higher than the median. That’s even considering that the average median household earnings in the state are the highest in the nation.

• Median income: $96,505
• Top 10% income: $347,620

The top 10% of earners make just shy of $350,000 a year, the highest amount on the list. The median household income also is significant and stands number three in the study.

• Median income: $68,505
• Top 10% income: $231,775

If you’re a top 10% earner in Michigan, you’re pulling down 238% more than what median income workers make.

• Median income: $84,313
• Top 10% income: $271,326

The spread between the median income and the top 10% of earners in Minnesota is 222% — or $187,013.

• Median income: $52,985
• Top 10% income: $189,937

Mississippi’s median wage is the lowest in the study at $52,985. The state is one of two where the top 10% averages less than $200,000 annually.

• Median income: $65,920
• Top 10% income: $225,585

While median earners are pulling in about $9,000 less than the national average, the top 10% are earning almost $160,000 more than the median earner per year.

• Median income: $66,341
• Top 10% income: $226,337

The top 10% of earners in Montana pull down 3.41 times the amount of the median wage.

• Median income: $71,722
• Top 10% income: $234,158

Nebraska sits at number 26 in terms of median household income, which is about $3,500 less than the national average.

• Median income: $71,646
• Top 10% income: $246,240

In Nevada, the median earner is earning a few thousand dollars less than the national average. However, the top 10% is earning $174,594 above median earners per year.

• Median income: $90,845
• Top 10% income: $283,642

With median earners in New Hampshire earning a decent wage, well above the national average, it’s no surprise the gap between them and the top 10% is one of the smaller ones on this list, at 212%.

• Median income: $97,126
• Top 10% income: $346,846

The top 10% of earners in New Jersey earn just more than $73,000 of the national average for top earners and its median household income earners fare well, too. In fact, the median income of $97,126 puts workers in the Garden State number two in that category on the list.

• Median income: $58,722
• Top 10% income: $205,300

The pay of New Mexico’s median wage earners and the top 10% fall well below the national average on both counts.

• Median income: $81,386
• Top 10% income: $328,198

The gap between the top 10% and the median income in New York is the highest in the country at 303%.

• Median income: $66,186
• Top 10% income: $238,075

North Carolina’s median income is almost $9,000 below the national average and the top 10% group comes in about $35,000 under the average. However, the top 10% are still making a significant $171,889 more than median earners.

• Median income: $73,959
• Top 10% income: $236,887

In North Dakota, where the median household makes just a bit below the national average, the gap between the top 10% and the median is a slightly smaller 220%.

• Median income: $66,990
• Top 10% income: $227,669

Ohio’s median earners are eking out a below average income, while the top 10% is making 240% more than the median group in Ohio.

• Median income: $61,364
• Top 10% income: $211,909

Oklahoma’s median income ranks in the bottom 10 of earnings in the study. The top 10% earn $150,545 more than the median income, a spread of 245%.

• Median income: $76,632
• Top 10% income: $256,666

Oregon’s median income is just above the national average. The top 10% here are not making quite as much as in other states — the group’s earnings fall about $17,000 below the national average — with a gap of 235% between pay groups.

• Median income: $73,170
• Top 10% income: $255,677

In Pennsylvania, the top 10% are earning $182,507 more than the median earner, a spread of 249%.

• Median income: $81,370
• Top 10% income: $261,998

The spread between Rhode Island’s top 10% and its median income is on the smaller side for this list at 222%.

• Median income: $63,623
• Top 10% income: $226,067

The incomes of median earners in South Carolina are among the lower ones on this list, yet, surprisingly, the gap between median and top 10% earners is a hefty 255%.

• Median income: $69,457
• Top 10% income: $219,373

South Dakota’s top 10% is earning $149,916 more than its median earners, a spread of 216%.

• Median income: $64,035
• Top 10% income: $228,076

Tennessee’s top 10% earns $164,041 more than the median earner, a significant spread of 256%.

• Median income: $73,035
• Top 10% income: $260,767

Texas’ top 10% of earners enjoy wages a significant 257% above the state’s median income. Still, the income of both groups falls below the national average.

• Median income: $86,833
• Top 10% income: $263,007

Utah has a decent median income above the national average, but its top 10% earns a relatively low 203% more.

• Median income: $74,014
• Top 10% income: $236,898

Vermont’s top 10% of earners are making 220% more than the median or $162,884.

• Median income: $87,249
• Top 10% income: $305,438

Virginia is one of eight states on the list where the top 10% of earners exceed $300,000. Despite a better-than-average paycheck for median-income earners, the top group makes $218,189 more than the lower group.

• Median income: $90,325
• Top 10% income: $307,971

Washington’s numbers are similar to those in Virginia, with the state’s top 10% bringing in $217,646 more than the lower group.

• Median income: $55,217
• Top 10% income: $189,922

The median income in West Virginia is the second lowest on this list, with the top 10% drawing 244% more than median wage earners. Still, the annual average income for the top 10% is the lowest in the study.

• Median income: $72,458
• Top 10% income: $229,027

Wages are below the national average in Wisconsin, but so is the spread between the top 10% and the median income. At $156,569, that disparity translates to 216%. The top 10% earners receive about $40,000 per year below the average in the category.

• Median income: $72,495
• Top 10% income: $229,134

The numbers in Wyoming are nearly identical to those in Wisconsin, with the top 10% group also earning in the $156,000 range and 216% above the median income.

Jami Farkas and John Csiszar contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2022 American Community Survey on the mean income in the top quintile (20%) of earners to estimate earnings for the top 10%. GOBankingRates then compared this figure to the overall median household income in the U.S. for context. All data was collected and is up to date as of February 21, 2024.