The salary you need to be considered middle class in the 25 largest U.S. cities—it can be over $250,000 in San Francisco (2024)

FAQs

The salary you need to be considered middle class in the 25 largest U.S. cities—it can be over $250,000 in San Francisco? ›

The middle class is commonly defined as households earning between two-thirds and double the median income, which is $128,151 in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California metro area, the Census Bureau reports. That means middle class households there earn between $85,434 and $256,302 a year.

Three out of the top five cities with the highest income thresholds for the middle class are located in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. These middle income residents need to make at least $81,623 in San Francisco, $84,673 in San Jose and $104,499 in Fremont.

As of 2022 (the most recent Census data), the average median household income in the U.S. was $73,914, meaning the national range for the middle class is roughly $49,271 to $147,828. Across the nation's largest cities, the range is between $51,558 and $154,590, according to SmartAsset.

With New Jersey ranking as the top state to make the most money to be considered middle class, other states ranking in the top five requiring salaries exceeding $50,000 to be in this category include Maryland ($63,321) and Massachusetts ($62,986), Hawaii ($61,633) and California ($61,028).

Economic Class as Defined by Income in California

By Pew's standard, a California household has to earn between $61,270 and $183,810 to join the state's middle class. Those earning $61,269 or less are lower-middle class and $183,811 or more buys you a ticket to the upper-middle class.

$200k in SFBA is well beyond the point where all your basic needs are met. The fact that you have have to stipulate that one can live without roommates and "all basic needs are met" with a $200,000 salary proves the OP's point. That's more than 6 times the median annual income in the US.

In San Francisco, your $250,000 salary will be quickly drained by obligatory expenses, leaving you with $82,776 in the end. Cost of living here is outrageous -- 79% higher than the national average, according to RentCafe.

The middle class is commonly defined as households earning between two-thirds and double the median income, which is $128,151 in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California metro area, the Census Bureau reports. That means middle class households there earn between $85,434 and $256,302 a year.

However, new GOBankingRates research shows that in some major U.S. cities, an annual income of $150,000 is only enough to qualify as “lower middle class.” This is especially pronounced in two Northern California cities and Arlington, Virginia.

Is $300,000 a year upper middle class? ›

$300,000 is a top 10% income. But unfortunately, making $300,000 will provide you a very middle class lifestyle in a big expensive city, especially if you have children. To make $300,000 usually means having to live in a more expensive city.

The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households that earn between two-thirds and double the median U.S. household income, which was $65,000 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 21 Using Pew's yardstick, middle income is made up of people who make between $43,350 and $130,000.

As stated before, $160,000 is an excellent salary if you are single, regardless of what your local cost of living is. On the other hand, it might not be so great if you have a family to support and live in, say, New York or California. Learning how to live on $160,000 a year will require budgeting.

California. Living in pricey California requires a big income and the top 10% earn an average of $341,276 — almost $68,000 above the national average for the top 10%.

As of 2022, the top 5% of earners in the state made $613,602 a year on average, according to a recent analysis from personal finance site GoBankingRates.

Here's how much you have to earn in California to qualify as middle class, study says — between $ 61,270 to $183,810. I feel like this highlights the cost of living discrepancy found in CA.

The median salary in San Francisco, CA is $104,400, with 80% of salaries falling between $45,240 and $195,750.

San Francisco: $4.4 million. Southern California (includes Los Angeles and San Diego): $3.4 million. New York City: $2.9 million. Washington, D.C.: $2.8 million.

San Francisco workers need to earn more than $300,000

You'll need to earn triple a $100,000 salary to live well in San Francisco. This tech-focused California city has a median household income nearly double the national average.