How Much Money Makes You Middle Class in Your State in 2026?

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.

• 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.

• Lowest middle-class income: $44,439
• Highest middle-class income: $133,318
• Median income: $66,659

• Lowest middle-class income: $63,777
• Highest middle-class income: $191,330
• Median income: $95,665

• Lowest middle-class income: $54,324
• Highest middle-class income: $162,972
• Median income: $81,486

• Lowest middle-class income: $41,404
• Highest middle-class income: $124,212
• Median income: $62,106

• Lowest middle-class income: $66,766
• Highest middle-class income: $200,298
• Median income: $100,149

• Lowest middle-class income: $64,742
• Highest middle-class income: $194,226
• Median income: $97,113

• Lowest middle-class income: $64,033
• Highest middle-class income: $192,098
• Median income: $96,049

• Lowest middle-class income: $58,356
• Highest middle-class income: $175,068
• Median income: $87,534

• Lowest middle-class income: $51,823
• Highest middle-class income: $155,470
• Median income: $77,735

• Lowest middle-class income: $53,327
• Highest middle-class income: $159,982
• Median income: $79,991

• Lowest middle-class income: $67,163
• Highest middle-class income: $201,490
• Median income: $100,745

• Lowest middle-class income: $54,111
• Highest middle-class income: $162,332
• Median income: $81,166

• Lowest middle-class income: $55,474
• Highest middle-class income: $166,422
• Median income: $83,211

• Lowest middle-class income: $47,973
• Highest middle-class income: $143,918
• Median income: $71,959

• Lowest middle-class income: $50,334
• Highest middle-class income: $151,002
• Median income: $75,501

• Lowest middle-class income: $50,343
• Highest middle-class income: $151,028
• Median income: $75,514

• Lowest middle-class income: $43,017
• Highest middle-class income: $129,052
• Median income: $64,526

• Lowest middle-class income: $40,657
• Highest middle-class income: $121,972
• Median income: $60,986

• Lowest middle-class income: $50,961
• Highest middle-class income: $152,884
• Median income: $76,442

• Lowest middle-class income: $68,603
• Highest middle-class income: $205,810
• Median income: $102,905

• Lowest middle-class income: $69,885
• Highest middle-class income: $209,656
• Median income: $104,828

• Lowest middle-class income: $48,259
• Highest middle-class income: $144,778
• Median income: $72,389

• Lowest middle-class income: $58,078
• Highest middle-class income: $174,234
• Median income: $87,117

• Lowest middle-class income: $39,418
• Highest middle-class income: $118,254
• Median income: $59,127

• Lowest middle-class income: $47,726
• Highest middle-class income: $143,178
• Median income: $71,589

• Lowest middle-class income: $50,227
• Highest middle-class income: $150,680
• Median income: $75,340

• Lowest middle-class income: $50,917
• Highest middle-class income: $152,752
• Median income: $76,376

• Lowest middle-class income: $54,089
• Highest middle-class income: $162,268
• Median income: $81,134

• Lowest middle-class income: $66,521
• Highest middle-class income: $199,564
• Median income: $99,782

• Lowest middle-class income: $69,529
• Highest middle-class income: $208,588
• Median income: $104,294

• Lowest middle-class income: $45,210
• Highest middle-class income: $135,632
• Median income: $67,816

• Lowest middle-class income: $57,213
• Highest middle-class income: $171,640
• Median income: $85,820

• Lowest middle-class income: $49,305
• Highest middle-class income: $147,916
• Median income: $73,958

• Lowest middle-class income: $51,914
• Highest middle-class income: $155,742
• Median income: $77,871

• Lowest middle-class income: $48,141
• Highest middle-class income: $144,424
• Median income: $72,212

• Lowest middle-class income: $44,099
• Highest middle-class income: $132,296
• Median income: $66,148

• Lowest middle-class income: $56,813
• Highest middle-class income: $170,440
• Median income: $85,220

• Lowest middle-class income: $51,697
• Highest middle-class income: $155,090
• Median income: $77,545

• Lowest middle-class income: $55,669
• Highest middle-class income: $167,008
• Median income: $83,504

• Lowest middle-class income: $48,233
• Highest middle-class income: $144,700
• Median income: $72,350

• Lowest middle-class income: $51,254
• Highest middle-class income: $153,762
• Median income: $76,881

• Lowest middle-class income: $47,998
• Highest middle-class income: $143,994
• Median income: $71,997

• Lowest middle-class income: $53,147
• Highest middle-class income: $159,442
• Median income: $79,721

• Lowest middle-class income: $64,439
• Highest middle-class income: $193,316
• Median income: $96,658

• Lowest middle-class income: $55,153
• Highest middle-class income: $165,460
• Median income: $82,730

• Lowest middle-class income: $61,393
• Highest middle-class income: $184,180
• Median income: $92,090

• Lowest middle-class income: $66,259
• Highest middle-class income: $198,778
• Median income: $99,389

• Lowest middle-class income: $40,532
• Highest middle-class income: $121,596
• Median income: $60,798

• Lowest middle-class income: $51,659
• Highest middle-class income: $154,976
• Median income: $77,488

• 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.