If You Make Less Than This Number Per Year In 2025, You're No Longer In The Middle Class

Being "Middle Class" isn't one-size-fits-all — it depends on where you live. SmartAsset's 2025 analysis into U.S. Census Bureau data puts the median household income across the 100 largest metro areas at $74,225. To qualify as middle class, you need to earn between two-thirds of that (about $49,478) and twice that amount (about $148,450). Yet, SmartAsset also notes that in practice, families in major metros tend to fall between $49,478 and $71,359 to be firmly in that bracket. Some states have it easier per the analysis of Census Bureau figures. In Detroit, for instance, middle-class households earn roughly $25,384 to $76,160 and Cleveland's range sits at $26,025 to $78,082. In pricier areas like San Francisco, you'd need $84,478 to $253,460, and in San Jose, it jumps to $90,810 to $272,458. 

While you might raise your income to surpass these margins, inflation is pushing the middle-class bar even higher.  For example, in 2023, the median household income in New York City was approximately $79,713, per the U.S Census Bureau. Based on the definition of middle class — earning  between two-thirds and twice the median income — the middle-class income range was $53,142 and $159,426. But in 2025, the median is $82,095, and making $54,725 puts you in the lower middle class while $164,190, makes you upper middle class. Asides inflation, you might have some personal financial traps keeping you in the middle class.

Massachusetts is now the toughest state in which to call yourself "middle class." SmartAsset's data analysis shows households there need to earn between $66,565 and $199,716 — up about 6.5% from last year's $62,986 to $188,976 range. Right behind are New Jersey at $66,514 to $199,562 and Maryland at $65,779 to $197,356. You can blame the housing costs for that. Zillow reports the average home in Massachusetts runs about $658,231, almost double the national $367,711 average. This makes Massachusetts one of the five most expensive states to live in and this is despite the fact that as of 2024, it was among the states with the highest average salary.

On taxes, Maryland's tax bite is fairly mild, unlike Massachusetts and New Jersey. In 2025, Maryland levies a 6.00% state sales tax, per Avalara, and an effective property tax rate of about 0.85%, according to Bankrate. As of 2024, Massachusetts charges 6.25% on most purchases, as stated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and has an average property tax rate near 0.97%. New Jersey tops out at 6.625% sales tax statewide, and its effective property tax rate is about 1.52%, among the highest in the nation. These property and sales taxes can eat up what little extra you'd hoped for.

In Arlington, Virginia, you need to bring in about $93,470 to $280,438 to count as middle class, per SmartAsset, thanks to its proximity to high-paying D.C. jobs, government, and tech gigs. Payscale has the median home price of people living in the city at $1,053,340. By contrast, a middle-class family living in Detroit, Michigan, only needs an income threshold of $25,384 to $76,160. This is also reflected in the city's median home price of $78,028, per Zillow, and its reliance on the manufacturing and service-based sectors.

BestPlaces gives Arlington a cost-of-living score of 164.3, meaning its overall expenses run 64.3% above the U.S. average. By contrast, Detroit's cost-of-living score is 91.8. Numbeo data further estimate that a single person in Detroit spends about $1,175 per month on living costs excluding rent. Now, usually, the amenities in pricier areas might justify its cost and this is true for Arlington. For instance, the city has a robust and effective public transit system which can save you money on transportation, but Detroit's layouts require dependence on personal rides which adds fuel and insurance burdens.