Here’s the Salary Needed To Be Middle Class vs. the Salary Needed for the American Dream in Every State

With rising cost of living, inflation and tariff costs (along with struggling employment levels), is the middle class still capable of attaining the American dream?

To answer such a question, GOBankingRates united two separate studies — one that determined the middle-class income range in each state and one that determined the cost of the American dream on a state-by-state basis — into a single analysis.

Check Out: GOBankingRates Original Research Center

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The American dream was defined as a married couple with a home and an annual mortgage with a 20% down payment, two children, a car and a pet. Associated costs included utility bills, education, healthcare expenses and the price of child care. All annual costs were then doubled, creating a viable estimate of what a comfortable American dream could cost in each of the 50 states.

Compared against those dream figures for each state were the income ranges for a family of four (two parents, two children). By comparing the data, GOBankingRates discovered that the American dream technically is still attainable by the middle class in every state in the country, but with some caveats. Specifically, in nearly every state, GOBankingRates found that only those on the upper end of the middle-class income range could afford the true costs of the American dream.

The bottom line: The good life is still a possibility in America, but it comes at an ever-increasing cost.

Alabama

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $65,800 to $197,400
• True cost of the American Dream: $111,534

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Alaska

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $85,767 to $257,300
• True cost of the American Dream: $195,120

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Arizona

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $71,989 to $215,966
• True cost of the American Dream: $156,394

Arkansas

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $60,187 to $180,560
• True cost of the American Dream: $111,758

California

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $85,429 to $256,288
• True cost of the American Dream: $209,767

Colorado

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $92,507 to $277,520
• True cost of the American Dream: $180,766

Connecticut

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $102,061 to $306,182
• True cost of the American Dream: $180,799

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Delaware

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $84,066 to $252,198
• True cost of the American Dream: $153,910

Florida

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $68,709 to $206,126
• True cost of the American Dream: $143,700

Georgia

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $73,824 to $221,472
• True cost of the American Dream: $134,993

Hawaii

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $89,619 to $268,856
• True cost of the American Dream: $238,680

Idaho

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $70,162 to $210,486
• True cost of the American Dream: $135,607

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Illinois

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $85,427 to $256,280
• True cost of the American Dream: $143,153

Indiana

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $71,703 to $215,110
• True cost of the American Dream: $133,155

Iowa

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $78,540 to $235,620
• True cost of the American Dream: $118,611

Kansas

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $75,279 to $225,838
• True cost of the American Dream: $115,895

Kentucky

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $67,283 to $201,848
• True cost of the American Dream: $116,613

See More: What Is the Estimated Median Income for the Upper-Middle Class in 2025?

Louisiana

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $65,425 to $196,274
• True cost of the American Dream: $113,783

Maine

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $78,710 to $236,130
• True cost of the American Dream: $151,734

Maryland

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $102,745 to $308,234
• True cost of the American Dream: $168,005

Massachusetts

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $110,637 to $331,910
• True cost of the American Dream: $217,722

Michigan

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $78,029 to $234,086
• True cost of the American Dream: $122,509

Also See: Here’s the Line Between Middle Class and Upper-Middle Class in Every State

Minnesota

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $95,999 to $287,996
• True cost of the American Dream: $173,697

Mississippi

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $57,139 to $171,416
• True cost of the American Dream: $104,948

Missouri

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $72,819 to $218,458
• True cost of the American Dream: $129,476

Montana

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $72,051 to $216,154
• True cost of the American Dream: $149,164

Nebraska

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $78,775 to $236,324
• True cost of the American Dream: $137,818

Read More: Here’s the Minimum Net Worth Considered To Be Middle Class in Your 70s

Nevada

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $67,121 to $201,362
• True cost of the American Dream: $161,922

New Hampshire

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $101,720 to $305,160
• True cost of the American Dream: $170,862

New Jersey

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $106,851 to $320,552
• True cost of the American Dream: $182,445

New Mexico

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $58,531 to $175,592
• True cost of the American Dream: $135,259

New York

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $89,073 to $267,218
• True cost of the American Dream: $170,669

Find Out: What Is the Estimated Median Income for the Upper-Middle Class in 2025?

North Carolina

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $72,922 to $218,766
• True cost of the American Dream: $130,518

North Dakota

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $86,607 to $259,822
• True cost of the American Dream: $132,340

Ohio

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $76,395 to $229,186
• True cost of the American Dream: $145,533

Oklahoma

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $62,625 to $187,874
• True cost of the American Dream: $127,100

Oregon

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $82,018 to $246,054
• True cost of the American Dream: $174,662

Explore More: Here’s the Minimum Net Worth To Be Considered Upper Class in Your 50s

Pennsylvania

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $83,783 to $251,348
• True cost of the American Dream: $138,994

Rhode Island

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $90,283 to $270,848
• True cost of the American Dream: $169,838

South Carolina

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $68,361 to $205,084
• True cost of the American Dream: $132,681

South Dakota

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $74,122 to $222,366
• True cost of the American Dream: $121,181

Tennessee

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $68,490 to $205,470
• True cost of the American Dream: $127,028

See More: The Living Wage a Family of 4 Needs in All 50 States

Texas

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $72,189 to $216,568
• True cost of the American Dream: $129,026

Utah

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $78,445 to $235,334
• True cost of the American Dream: $149,873

Vermont

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $87,769 to $263,308
• True cost of the American Dream: $175,818

Virginia

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $92,778 to $278,334
• True cost of the American Dream: $147,055

Find More: How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper Middle Class in Every State

Washington

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $92,875 to $278,626
• True cost of the American Dream: $188,264

West Virginia

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $62,931 to $188,792
• True cost of the American Dream: $117,788

Wisconsin

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $82,099 to $246,296
• True cost of the American Dream: $154,655

Wyoming

• 4-person family middle-class income range: $76,558 to $229,674
• True cost of the American Dream: $128,406

Methodology: GOBankingRates found how much the middle class earns in every state by analyzing the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey 5-year data. For this study, GOBankingRates assumed that a middle-class family earns two-thirds to double the median income for a family of its size in its state. In order to find out how much a middle-class family is earning, GOBankingRates multiplied each median income by 0.6666667 for the lower limit and by 2 for the upper limit. All data was collected on and is up to date as of June 2, 2025. … The American dream for this study is defined as a married couple who own a home and a car, have two children and a pet. The data was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, Zillow Home Value Index, the Federal Reserve, ASPCA’s Annual Pet Costs, the Economic Policy Institute’s Childcare Costs by State. Using the 50/30/20 financial rule that states needs should not exceed 50% of household income, the total cost of living was doubled to find the income needed to live the American Dream. All data is up to date as of April 17, 2025.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s the Salary Needed To Be Middle Class vs. the Salary Needed for the American Dream in Every State

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