Key Takeaways
- Nationally, upper middle class is roughly $133,000 to $400,000 for a family of three (WSJ, 2024 dollars).
- U.S. median household income hit a record $87,460 in 2025, per the Census Bureau's September 2026 report.
- State thresholds run from about $92,000 in Mississippi to about $188,000 in Massachusetts.
- A $150,000 household sits near the 72nd percentile nationally; the top 5% starts above $354,000.
Nationally, upper middle class means a family of three earning roughly $133,000 to $400,000, but the honest answer depends heavily on your state. In Mississippi (MS) you can hit the tier at around $92,000, while in Massachusetts (MA) the bar starts near $188,000. The full state-by-state table is below.
According to the WSJ, more and more Americans are moving into this tier despite an adverse macroeconomic environment. Here is how they classify upper middle class based on income:
….[Upper Middle Class] is classified a family of three earning $133,000 to $400,000 (in 2024 dollars). Households earning more were categorized as rich. Many families are surprised to find that they have moved into this new economic tier, and see themselves as comfortable, not rich. They tend to have jobs that are white collar but not flashy—think accountants, not tech founders.
Do you agree with this? Overall it seems accurate, but it largely depends on where you live and your spending habits. Someone in NYC earning $400,000 could feel squarely middle class given city living costs. In South Dakota (SD) or Kentucky (KY), that same income is comfortably “rich” territory.
What Counts as Upper Middle Class in 2026?
The WSJ’s $133,000–$400,000 band is stated in 2024 dollars. Adjusting for the inflation we’ve seen since, the practical 2026 band is closer to $140,000 to $420,000 for a family of three nationally.
Two things drive whether a given income actually feels upper middle class: your state (see the table below) and your household size. A single earner at $150,000 lives a very different life than a family of five at the same number.
The latest Census data (Income in the United States: 2025, released September 15, 2026) puts the national median household income at $87,460, a record high and up 2.6% from 2024 after inflation. The WSJ band works out to about 1.6 times the median for the upper middle class lower bound, and about 4.8 times for the “rich” line.
Upper Middle Class Income by State (2026)
To make this practical, I’ve applied those same national multiples (1.6x to 4.8x) to each state’s 2025 median household income from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. The result is an apples-to-apples estimate of what it takes to be upper middle class where you actually live.
| State | Median Household Income (2025) | Upper Middle Class Starts At | “Rich” Starts Above |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama (AL) | $68,410 | $109,000 | $327,000 |
| Alaska (AK) | $102,500 | $163,000 | $490,000 |
| Arizona (AZ) | $86,570 | $138,000 | $414,000 |
| Arkansas (AR) | $68,060 | $108,000 | $325,000 |
| California (CA) | $100,800 | $160,000 | $482,000 |
| Colorado (CO) | $102,500 | $163,000 | $490,000 |
| Connecticut (CT) | $101,400 | $161,000 | $484,000 |
| Delaware (DE) | $99,800 | $159,000 | $477,000 |
| District of Columbia (DC) | $107,600 | $171,000 | $514,000 |
| Florida (FL) | $77,920 | $124,000 | $372,000 |
| Georgia (GA) | $82,100 | $130,000 | $392,000 |
| Hawaii (HI) | $105,100 | $167,000 | $502,000 |
| Idaho (ID) | $87,840 | $140,000 | $420,000 |
| Illinois (IL) | $93,270 | $148,000 | $446,000 |
| Indiana (IN) | $76,180 | $121,000 | $364,000 |
| Iowa (IA) | $81,890 | $130,000 | $391,000 |
| Kansas (KS) | $85,540 | $136,000 | $409,000 |
| Kentucky (KY) | $73,750 | $117,000 | $352,000 |
| Louisiana (LA) | $60,670 | $96,000 | $290,000 |
| Maine (ME) | $95,150 | $151,000 | $455,000 |
| Maryland (MD) | $116,300 | $185,000 | $556,000 |
| Massachusetts (MA) | $118,500 | $188,000 | $566,000 |
| Michigan (MI) | $76,800 | $122,000 | $367,000 |
| Minnesota (MN) | $95,160 | $151,000 | $455,000 |
| Mississippi (MS) | $57,840 | $92,000 | $276,000 |
| Missouri (MO) | $84,700 | $135,000 | $405,000 |
| Montana (MT) | $86,770 | $138,000 | $415,000 |
| Nebraska (NE) | $100,600 | $160,000 | $481,000 |
| Nevada (NV) | $88,880 | $141,000 | $425,000 |
| New Hampshire (NH) | $112,100 | $178,000 | $536,000 |
| New Jersey (NJ) | $111,400 | $177,000 | $532,000 |
| New Mexico (NM) | $67,620 | $107,000 | $323,000 |
| New York (NY) | $86,900 | $138,000 | $415,000 |
| North Carolina (NC) | $80,250 | $127,000 | $383,000 |
| North Dakota (ND) | $85,060 | $135,000 | $406,000 |
| Ohio (OH) | $85,150 | $135,000 | $407,000 |
| Oklahoma (OK) | $75,390 | $120,000 | $360,000 |
| Oregon (OR) | $92,740 | $147,000 | $443,000 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | $85,880 | $136,000 | $410,000 |
| Rhode Island (RI) | $96,880 | $154,000 | $463,000 |
| South Carolina (SC) | $82,320 | $131,000 | $393,000 |
| South Dakota (SD) | $82,460 | $131,000 | $394,000 |
| Tennessee (TN) | $75,250 | $120,000 | $359,000 |
| Texas (TX) | $85,060 | $135,000 | $406,000 |
| Utah (UT) | $102,900 | $163,000 | $492,000 |
| Vermont (VT) | $95,290 | $151,000 | $455,000 |
| Virginia (VA) | $100,000 | $159,000 | $478,000 |
| Washington (WA) | $112,600 | $179,000 | $538,000 |
| West Virginia (WV) | $61,770 | $98,000 | $295,000 |
| Wisconsin (WI) | $88,020 | $140,000 | $420,000 |
| Wyoming (WY) | $81,030 | $129,000 | $387,000 |
Source: Census Bureau Table H-8, 2025 median household income by state (CPS ASEC, released September 2026), scaled by the national upper-middle-class multiples. Estimates rounded to the nearest $1,000. Single-year state figures from this survey have wider margins of error in smaller states. New York looks surprisingly low because the statewide median includes upstate; for the NYC metro specifically, add 25 to 40%.
A couple of examples to make it concrete. Mark and Dana, a two-earner household in Ohio (OH) bringing in $145,000 combined, are comfortably upper middle class in their state, where the bar is about $135,000. Meanwhile Sarah, a solo tech worker in Colorado (CO) earning that same $145,000, falls short of her state’s $163,000 threshold, and given Denver housing costs, she probably feels it.
I’ll refresh this table when the Census releases 2026 state income data, usually in September.
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Where Do You Rank Nationally? The Full Income Percentile Ladder
The state table above tells you where you stand locally, but a lot of readers ask a simpler question: forget my state, what percentile is my household income nationally? Here’s the 2025 breakdown, straight from Census Bureau data.
| Percentile Rank | Household Income Range |
|---|---|
| Bottom 20% | Up to $35,800 |
| 20th–40th percentile | $35,801 – $68,600 |
| 40th–60th percentile (median tier) | $68,601 – $110,300 |
| 60th–80th percentile | $110,301 – $182,400 |
| 80th–90th percentile | $182,401 – $261,300 |
| 90th–95th percentile | $261,301 – $354,000 |
| Top 5% | Above $354,000 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2025 (household income at selected percentiles, Table 6, CPS ASEC). Census doesn’t publish a top 1% cutoff in this report.
A household earning $150,000 sits around the 72nd percentile nationally, between the 70th percentile ($140,900) and the 80th ($182,400). That’s upper middle class by income in most states, even though (as the state table shows) the same $150,000 clears the bar easily in Mississippi but falls short in Massachusetts or Colorado. To reach the top 5% nationally, a household needs more than $354,000. That’s still below the $400,000 “rich” line in the WSJ definition, so the top of the WSJ band already reaches into the top 5%.
Income Isn’t Wealth
Ultimately, it’s not what you make but what you save and invest. Like most people, your income will vary over your life based on your job, health, and lifestyle — which means high income does not equate to long-term wealth.
That’s why I like this 5 step guide for getting rich over the longer term in America (it comes down to discipline):
- Make an upper middle class income ($150k+). This means having the skills (college, trade or other) that align with what the labor market is willing to pay for (which is all about AI now), which may not be something you love.
- Live below your means, even as your income rises. This means avoiding lifestyle creep and carefully managing your car, house, and education expenses for kids.
- Invest the difference (ideally 25%+ of gross income) in low-cost index funds. The power of compounding does the rest.
- Repeat for 2+ decades.
- Retire rich.
Even a high income doesn’t guarantee you’ll feel financially secure — I go deeper on why so many six-figure households still feel like they’re one paycheck from trouble in my high-income financial fragility post.
Common Issues to Watch Out For
A few things I see trip people up when they benchmark themselves against tables like this:
- Comparing gross to net. These thresholds are gross (pre-tax) household income. If you’re mentally comparing your take-home pay, you’ll understate your position by 25–35%.
- Ignoring household size. The WSJ band assumes a family of three. A single filer should mentally shift the band down; a family of five, up.
- Statewide averages hide metro reality. Statewide medians blend expensive metros with cheaper rural areas. If you’re in Seattle, Miami, or the NYC metro, your local threshold is meaningfully higher than the state row suggests.
- Anchoring on income instead of net worth. A $200,000 household with no savings and two leased luxury cars is upper middle class on paper only. Track net worth, not just income.
- Confusing the national percentile with the state-adjusted tier. A $150,000 household sits around the 72nd percentile nationally, but it’s still below the upper middle class bar in 19 higher-income states and DC. The two rankings answer different questions.
Looking Ahead: 2027 Outlook
Three things I’m watching that will move these thresholds next year. First, the September 2027 Census release of 2026 income data, which will reset every state median in the table. Second, inflation: with CPI running in the 2 to 3% range, the national band should drift up modestly, likely putting the lower bound around $145,000 in 2027 dollars. Third, wage growth in AI-exposed white-collar fields, which the WSJ piece flagged as the engine behind upper-middle-class expansion. If that cools alongside tech layoffs, tier growth could stall.
This is a projection, not a guarantee — I’ll update this page when the official data lands.
