A $25,000 Salary Is Officially Middle Class If You Live In This Florida College Town

The Pew Research Foundation defines "middle-income" households as those that earn between two-thirds and double the U.S. median household income. The latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau peg the national median household income at $81,604 in 2024, which would put the middle class between $54,403 and $163,208. But that's nationwide. What is considered middle class also depends on the median salaries and cost of living in a particular state or city. For example, California, where the minimum wage is due to increase in 2026 to $16.90 per hour, has a median household income of $100,149 as of 2024, per the Census Bureau. It's also a state where, in some areas, it is so expensive that you probably need one of the highest-paying American jobs to live comfortably.

Yet there are many places around the country where the cost of living is much lower, and so is the salary range for what is considered middle class. University, Florida, an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County just outside of Tampa and adjacent to the University of South Florida, is one of them. With a population of about 49,000, the median household income was $36,483 as of 2023 — $41,252 lower than Florida's median household income of $77,735. This would make University's middle-income range between $24,322 and $72,966 a year.

One big reason why retirees are leaving Florida for other states is that it has become a much more expensive place to live, due in part to rising home insurance costs. But while the typical value for a home in Florida is $378,031, per Zillow, in University, the median home price is $168,000, according to Realtor.com. As a college town, University offers plenty of amenities for its size, such as parks, shopping, and restaurants.

But this isn't a small town by the beach. University is in an inland area where crime is higher than the national average, per Best Places. The poverty rate (as of 2023) was 35.7% compared to 12% across Florida, per the U.S. Census Bureau. Plus, University tends to flood severely in storms, and many of its homes are on well water rather than connected to the municipal water and sewer systems. There are reports from residents of bad-smelling brown water coming through the pipes, according to NPR's WUSF. The University Area Community Development Corporation had a $15 million grant to help correct these issues, but it was canceled by the federal government in mid-2025.

With these cons, it's no wonder that listed home prices in University have seen a drop of 16% year-over-year, per Realtor.com. Still, the average rent sought by landlords was $1,856 a month, per RentCafe, just $128 less than the statewide average.