50 Cities Where Earning $200K Is Considered Middle Class

A generation ago, an annual salary of $100,000 meant you had arrived, that you were part of the upper crust in your community. Then, $100,000 in wages became the standard for living a middle-class existence.

Now, there are plenty of places you could live where $200,000 in yearly earnings is considered middle class. GOBankingRates found the 50 largest cities, in terms of total households, where a person could be paid $200,000 per year and still be regarded as middle class. GOBankingRates defined a middle-class income as two-thirds to double an area’s median household income.

The results turned up cities in all four corners of the United States, and perhaps it’s no surprise that almost half of them — 23 — sit in pricey California. Here’s how the communities nearest to you fared in the study, listed by a city’s median household income, lowest to highest.

Scroll on to see if your city made the list.

Also see 30 cities where the middle class is thriving.

• Median household income: $100,718
• Middle-class income range: $67,145 to $201,43

• Median household income: $100,876  
• Middle-class income range: $67,251 to $201,752 

• Median household income: $101,722
• Middle-class income range: $67,815 to $203,444

• Median household income: $101,984
• Middle-class income range: $67,989 to $203,968

• Median household income: $103,447
• Middle-class income range: $68,965 to $206,894 

• Median household income: $103,727 
• Middle-class income range: $69,151 to $207, 454

• Median household income: $104,197 
• Middle-class income range: $69,465 to $208,394

• Median household income: $104,716
• Middle-class income range: $69,811 to $209,432

• Median household income: $104,981 
• Middle-class income range: $69,987 to $209,962

• Median household income: $105,371
• Middle-class income range: $70,247 to $210,742

• Median household income: $105,534
• Middle-class income range: $70,356 to $211,068

• Median household income: $105,679
• Middle-class income range: $70,453 to $211,358

• Median household income: $106,014
• Middle-class income range: $70,676 to $212,028

• Median household income: $106,797
• Middle-class income range: $71,198 to $213,594

• Median household income: $107,789
• Middle-class income range: $71,859 to $215,578

• Median household income: $108,077
• Middle-class income range: $72,051 to $216,154

• Median household income: $109,335
• Middle-class income range: $72,890 to $218,670   

• Median household income: $109,554
• Middle-class income range: $73,036 to $219,108    

• Median household income: $111,123 
• Middle-class income range: $74,082 to $222,246   

• Median household income: $112,144
• Middle-class income range: $74,763 to $224,288

• Median household income: $112,265
• Middle-class income range: $74,843 to $224,530 

• Median household income: $113,179
• Middle-class income range: $75,453 to $226,358     

• Median household income: $113,286
• Middle-class income range: $75,524 to $226,572

• Median household income: $114,747
• Middle-class income range: $76,498 to $229,494

• Median household income: $115,167 
• Middle-class income range: $76,778 to $230,334   

• Median household income: $115,179
• Middle-class income range: $76,786 to $230,358    

• Median household income: $115,864
• Middle-class income range: $77,243 to $231,728  

• Median household income: $116,068
• Middle-class income range: $77,379 to $232,136

• Median household income: $116,186
• Middle-class income range: $77,457 to $232,372

• Median household income: $117,316
• Middle-class income range: $78,211 to $234,632

• Median household income: $121,539
• Middle-class income range: $81,026 to $243,078

• Median household income: $122,948
• Middle-class income range: $81,965 to $245,896

• Median household income: $124,537
• Middle-class income range: $83,025 to $249,074

• Median household income: $124,617
• Middle-class income range: $83,078 to $249,234

• Median household income: $125,317 
• Middle-class income range: $83,545 to $250,634

• Median household income: $125,399
• Middle-class income range: $83,599 to $250,798

• Median household income: $132,859
• Middle-class income range: $88,573 to $265,718

• Median household income: $134,139
• Middle-class income range: $89,426 to $268,278

• Median household income: $136,010
• Middle-class income range: $90,673 to $272,020

• Median household income: $136,689
• Middle-class income range: $91,126 to $273,378

• Median household income: $137,387
• Middle-class income range: $91,126 to $273,378

• Median household income: $142,384
• Middle-class income range: $94,923 to $284,768

• Median household income: $143,754
• Middle-class income range: $95,836 to $287,508

• Median household income: $144,567
• Middle-class income range: $96,378 to $289,134

• Median household income: $149,152
• Middle-class income range: $99,435 to $298,304

• Median household income: $149,471
• Middle-class income range: $99,647 to $298,942

• Median household income: $149,551
• Middle-class income range: $99,701 to $299,102 

• Median household income: $165,352
• Middle-class income range: $110,235 to $330,704

• Median household income: $169,023
• Middle-class income range: $112,682 to $338,046

• Median household income: $174,506
• Middle-class income range: $116,337 to $349,012

Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates found the 50 largest cities, in terms of total households, where one could make $200,000 and still be considered middle-class. For this purpose, GOBankingRates defines middle-class income as two-thirds to double the income of an area. All data was sourced from the 2022 American Community Survey and is up to date as of June 10, 2024.