How Much You Need To Be Middle Class in These 17 Southern States

There are so many ways to enjoy Southern living. Driving through the lush countryside in Kentucky or taking a river boat ride in Louisiana. Enjoying the rich history of Delaware or sitting down for some crabs — seasoned with plenty of Old Bay, of course — in Maryland.

Just as the experiences of being Southern can vary dramatically, so can the amount of money you need to live comfortably in the middle class in each of the states designated as the American South (including D.C.). To help you figure out how much money you need, GOBankingRates did the math for these states to determine the high and low ends of what is considered middle class. 

• Median Household Income: $59,609
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $39,735
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $119,218

• Median Household Income: $56,335
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $37,553
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $112,670

• Median Household Income: $79,325
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $52,878
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $158,650

• Median Household Income: $101,722
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $67,808
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $203,444

• Median Household Income: $67,917
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $45,273
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $135,834

• Median Household Income: $71,355
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $47,565
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $142,710

• Median Household Income: $60,183
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $40,118
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $120,366

• Median Household Income: $57,852
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $38,564
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $115,704

• Median Household Income: $98,461
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $65,634
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $196,922

• Median Household Income: $52,985
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $35,320
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $105,970

• Median Household Income: $66,186
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $44,120
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $132,372

• Median Household Income: $61,364
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $40,905
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $122,728

• Median Household Income: $63,623
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $42,411
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $127,246

• Median Household Income: $64,035
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $42,686
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $128,070

• Median Household Income: $73,035
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $48,685
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $146,070

• Median Household Income: $87,249
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $58,160
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $174,498

• Median Household Income: $55,217
• Lowest End of Middle Class Income: $36,808
• Highest End of Middle Class Income: $110,434

Methodology: For this piece GOBankingRates used the 2022 American Communit Survey as conducted by the US Census Bureau to isolate the median household income of all Southern states (AL, AR, DE, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, AND WV). Once those figures were found GOBankingRates was able to determine middle-class income of the state under the definition that middle-class income is two/thirds to double the income of a given area. All data was collected and is up to date as of May 1, 2024.