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 that there’s more than enough to go around. Yet in every state, there are people who are barely scraping by at the same time as there are people who earn in the top 10%, leaving a sizable gap between them.

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However, the size of this gap can vary widely depending on where you live. For example, if you live in New York or California, you’ll need to earn about four times the median income to crack the top 10%. In other states, like Utah, the top 10% of incomes are more like three times as large as median salaries.

To help highlight the disparities, GOBankingRates analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data from the 2021 American Community Survey to determine 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.  

What’s clear is that both the median income and the salary earned by the top 10% in each state can vary considerably. If you’re looking to earn more and have some flexibility, 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 entry-level jobs that pay far above the median incomes listed below.

• Median income: $54,943
• Top 10% income: $193,311 

The top 10% earners in Alabama make 252% more than the median income, or $138,368 more.

• Median income: $80,287
• Top 10% income: $242,097 

Top earners in Alaska do much better than average, earning 202% more than the median income.

• Median income: $65,913
• Top 10% income: $223,521

Arizona has a significant wealth gap between average earners and the top 10%, who pull down 239% more than the median income.

• Median income: $52,123
• Top 10% income: $188,510

Arkansas’ median income is almost $17,000 less than the national average, but earners in the top 10% pull down 262% more than the average earner.

• Median income: $84,097
• Top 10% income: $309,857

Median earners in the Golden State earn $15,076 more than the national average. And the top 10% earn a staggering 268% more than the average earner.

• Median income: $80,184 
• Top 10% income: $264,516  

The gap between average and top earners in Colorado is a significant ​​230%.

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• Median income: $83,572
• Top 10% income: $319,533 

Connecticut has the third highest wage gap in the U.S., with the top 10% earning 282% more the median earners.

• Median income: $72,724
• Top 10% income: $238,612

Delaware is another state where the median earner earns more than the national average. However, the top 10% earns 272% more than the median.

• Median income: $61,777
• Top 10% income: $230,107

Though median earners in Florida earn about $8,000 less than national average, the top 10% earn 272% more than the median.

• Median income: $65,030
• Top 10% income: $234,209

In terms of dollar amount, the gap between top 10% earners and the median averages $169,179 per year.

• Median income: $88,005
• Top 10% income: $271,560  

For a state where everything is more expensive, Hawaii has the smallest gap between the top and median earners, at just 209%.

• Median income: $63,377
• Top 10% income: $203,042 

The gap between median and top earners in Idaho is 220%, or $139,665 per year.

• Median income: $72,563
• Top 10% income: $258,373

The top 10% in Illinois earn about $185,810 more than the median annually, or 256% more.

• Median income: $61,944
• Top 10% income: $198,848

The gap between top and median earners in Indiana is about average, amounting to $136,904 or 221%.

• Median income: $65,429
• Top 10% income: $203,398

Median earners in Iowa are making just about $4000 less than the national average. While the top 10% is earning $134,377 above national average, which is 211% above median earners.

• Median income: $64,521
• Top 10% income: $215,122

Kansas’s top 10% earns 233% more than its median earners on average.

• Median income: $55,454
• Top 10% income: $194,168

Kentucky, like several other Southern states, has a relatively low median income, which makes the top 10% wage gap even bigger, at 250%.

• Median income: $53,571
• Top 10% income: $201,514

Louisiana’s median income is lower than Kentucky’s but the wage gap between the top 10% and median earner is even higher, at 276%, the fourth biggest wage gap in the country.

• Median income: $63,182
• Top 10% income: $205,365

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 225%.

• Median income: $91,431
• Top 10% income: $293,979

The $202,548 difference between median and top 10% earners in Maryland is fairly large on a percentage basis, amounting to a 222% jump.

• Median income: $89,026
• Top 10% income: $316,447

Median earners in Massachusetts earn almost $20,000 more than the national average, but the top 10% earns 255% more than the median earner.

• Median income: $63,202
• Top 10% income: $213,981  

If you’re a top 10% earner in Michigan, you’re pulling down 239% of what median income workers make.

• Median income: $77,706
• Top 10% income: $250,361

The spread between the median income and the top 10% of earners in Minnesota is 222%.

• Median income: $49,111
• Top 10% income: $175,581

Mississippi’s median wage earner is pulling in almost $20,000 less than the national average, while the top 10% is earning 258% more than the median.

• Median income: $61,043
• Top 10% income: $207,969

While median earners are pulling in about $8,000 less than the national average, the top 10% are earning $146,926 more than the median earner per year.

• Median income: $60,560
• Top 10% income: $205,462

The top 10% of earners in Montana pull down 239% more than the median wage.

• Median income: $66,644
• Top 10% income: $213,091

If you’re earning a median income in Nebraska, you’ll need to pull down about 220% more if you want to crack the top 10%.

• Median income: $65,686
• Top 10% income: $224,480

In Nevada, the median earner is earning a few thousand dollars less than the national average. However, the top 10% is earning $158,794 above median earners per year.

• Median income: $83,449
• Top 10% income: $258,632

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 on this list, at 210%.

• Median income: $89,703
• Top 10% income: $319,140

With a median wage at almost $90,000 in New Jersey, to be in the top 10%, earners have to make 256% more.

• Median income: $54,020
• Top 10% income: $188,282

New Mexico’s median wage earners aren’t even up to the national average. Yet the gap between the top 10% of wage earners and the median income is still significantly high, at 249%.

• Median income: $75,157
• Top 10% income: $302,676

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

• Median income: $60,516
• Top 10% income: $217,348

North Carolina’s median income is almost $9,000 below national average. However the top 10% are still making a significant $156,832 more than median earners.

• Median income: $68,131
• Top 10% income: $217,143

In North Dakota, where the median earner is just a hair below the national average, the gap between the top 10% and the median is a slightly smaller 219%.

• Median income: $61,938
• Top 10% income: $209,247

Ohio’s median earners are eking out a below average income, while the top 10% is making 238% more than the median.

• Median income: $56,956
• Top 10% income: $195,269

Oklahoma’s top 10% earns $138,313 more than the median income, a spread of 243%.

• Median income: $70,084
• Top 10% income: $232,703

Oregon’s median income is just above the national average. The top 10% here are not making quite as much as other states, with a gap of 232% between earners.

• Median income: $67,587
• Top 10% income: $234,818

In Pennsylvania, the top 10% are earning $167,231 more than the median earner, a spread of 247%.

• Median income: $74,489
• Top 10% income: $242,103

The spread between Rhode Island’s top 10% and its median income is on the smaller side for this list, at 225%.

• Median income: $58,234
• Top 10% income: $207,367

Median earners in South Carolina are earning among the lower incomes on this list, yet, surprisingly, the gap between median and top 10% earners is a hefty 256%.

• Median income: $63,920
• Top 10% income: $200,212

South Dakota’s top 10% is earning $136,292 more than its median earners, a spread of 213%.

• Median income: $58,516
• Top 10% income: $210,529

Tennessee’s top 10% earns $152,013 more than the median earner, a significant spread of 260%.

• Median income: $67,321
• Top 10% income: $239,765

Texas’s top 10% of earners enjoy wages a significant 256% above the state’s median income.

• Median income: $79,133
• Top 10% income: $239,149 

Utah has a decent median income, but its top 10% earns a relatively low 202% more.

• Median income: $67,674
• Top 10% income: $218,086

Vermont’s top 10% of earners are making 222% more than the median, or $150,412.

• Median income: $80,615
• Top 10% income: $280,299

Virginia’s top 10% earns quite a bit more than its median wage earners. The $199,684 disparity translates to a 248% spread.

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• Median income: $82,400
• Top 10% income: $277,165

The disparity between what the top 10% makes versus the median income in Washington stands at 236%.

• Median income: $50,884
• Top 10% income: $174,019

The median income in West Virginia is the lowest on this list, with the top 10% drawing 242% more than median wage earners.

• Median income: $67,080
• Top 10% income: $211,049

Wages are still below national average in Wisconsin, but so is the spread between the top 10% and the median income. At $143,969, that disparity translates to 215%.

• Median income: $68,002
• Top 10% income: $210,249

The top 10% in the District of Columbia make $142,247 more than the average worker. That’s a wage gap of 209% more than the median salary.

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John Csiszar contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2021 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 on and up to date as of May 2, 2023.