How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper-Middle Class in Every State

Depending where you live in the U.S., the amount of money you make could position you somewhere from the lowest to highest end of earnings accrued by members of the upper-middle class.

GOBankingRates was able to determine what the upper-middle-class income ranges look like in every state by sourcing each state’s median household income from the 2023 American Community Survey. Each state’s upper-middle-class income range was found after finding the total middle-class income range in every state (defined as two-thirds to double the income of an area).

• Mississippi ranked as the most affordable state to be a member of the upper-middle class. Your income would need to start at $85,424, with the highest end extending to $109,830.
• Maryland beat out high cost-of-living states like Hawaii and California as the state where you’d need the most income to be upper middle-class. The lowest end starts at $158,126 in Maryland.
• If you do not earn a six-figure income but make at least $85,424 annually, you are still considered to be a member of the upper-middle class in eight states: Oklahoma, Kentucky, New Mexico, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi. 
• Median household incomes are still under six figures in 47 states. The only states where the median household income starts at $100,000 or more are Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Ranked from most to least expensive, this is the amount you would need to earn to be upper-middle class in every state.

• Median household income: $101,652
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $158,126
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $203,304

• Median household income: $101,341
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $157,643
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $202,682

• Median household income: $101,050
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $157,190
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $202,100

• Median household income: $98,317
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $152,939
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $196,634

• Median household income: $96,334
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $149,854
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $192,668

• Median household income: $95,628
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $148,756
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $191,256

• Median household income: $94,952
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $147,704
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $189,904

• Median household income: $93,760
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $145,850
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $187,520

• Median household income: $92,470
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $143,843
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $184,940

• Median household income: $91,750
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $142,723
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $183,500

• Median household income: $90,974
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $141,516
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $181,948

• Median household income: $89,336
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $138,968
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $178,672

• Median household income: $87,556
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $136,199
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $175,112

• Median household income: $86,372
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $134,357
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $172,744

• Median household income: $84,578
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $131,567
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $169,156

• Median household income: $82,855
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $128,887
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $165,710

• Median household income: $81,702
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $127,093
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $163,404

• Median household income: $80,426
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $125,108
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $160,852

• Median household income: $78,024
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $121,372
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $156,048

• Median household income: $76,872
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $119,580
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $153,744

• Median household income: $76,292
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $118,677
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $152,584

• Median household income: $76,081
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $118,349
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $152,162

• Median household income: $75,949
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $118,144
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $151,898

• Median household income: $75,670
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $117,710
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $151,340

• Median household income: $75,561
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $117,540
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $151,122

• Median household income: $74,985
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $116,644
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $149,970

• Median household income: $74,815
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $116,380
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $149,630

• Median household income: $74,664
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $116,145
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $149,328

• Median household income: $74,636
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $116,101
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $149,272

• Median household income: $73,147
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $113,785
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $146,294

• Median household income: $72,639
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $112,995
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $145,278

• Median household income: $72,421
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $112,656
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $144,842

• Median household income: $71,773
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $111,648
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $143,546

• Median household income: $71,711
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $111,551
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $143,422

• Median household income: $71,149
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $110,677
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $142,298

• Median household income: $70,051
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $108,969
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $140,102

• Median household income: $69,922
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $108,769
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $139,844

• Median household income: $69,904
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $108,741
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $139,808

• Median household income: $69,680
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $108,392
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $139,360

• Median household income: $68,920
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $107,210
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $137,840

• Median household income: $67,097
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $104,374
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $134,194

• Median household income: $66,818
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $103,940
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $133,636

• Median household income: $63,603
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $98,939
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $127,206

• Median household income: $62,417
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $97,094
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $124,834

• Median household income: $62,125
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $96,640
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $124,250

• Median household income: $62,027
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $96,487
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $124,054

• Median household income: $60,023
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $93,370
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $120,046

• Median household income: $58,773
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $91,426
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $117,546

• Median household income: $57,917
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $90,094
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $115,834

• Median household income: $54,915
• Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $85,424
• Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $109,830

Methodology: For this piece we found the upper middle-class income ranges for every state by first sourcing the median household income in every state from the 2023 American Community Survey as conducted by the US Census Bureau. From there GOBankingRates was able to find the total middle-class income range by following the definition of middle-class income as two-thirds to double the income of an area. From there GOBankingRates was able to determine each state’s upper middle-class income range. All data was collected and is up to date as of Feb. 19, 2025.