What is considered middle class? It might take more money than you think to reach this income tier. The Pew Research Center defines middle-class, or middle-income households, as those with incomes that are two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income.
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However, because the cost of living and average income varies so widely from state to state, the income needed to be "middle class" in one state could be much more or less than what it takes to be middle class in another. Using Pew's definition of middle class, GOBankingRates analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey to determine how much two-, three- and four-person families need to earn in every state to qualify for this classification.
Find out the states where it's easiest to be middle class.
Alabama
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $38,582 to $115,170
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $44,351 to $132,392
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $54,111 to $161,524
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Alaska
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $57,776 to $172,466
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $62,818 to $187,516
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $69,727 to $208,140
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Arizona
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $44,015 to $131,388
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $47,098 to $140,592
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $55,092 to $164,454
Arkansas
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $36,376 to $108,586
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $41,271 to $123,198
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $47,895 to $142,970
California
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $52,681 to $157,258
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $57,796 to $172,524
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $66,091 to $197,288
Colorado
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $54,159 to $161,668
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $60,635 to $181,000
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $71,100 to $212,240
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Connecticut
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $58,508 to $174,652
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $68,170 to $203,492
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $83,808 to $250,174
Delaware
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $49,705 to $148,374
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $57,849 to $172,684
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $69,613 to $207,800
Florida
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $41,696 to $124,466
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $45,512 to $135,858
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $54,322 to $162,154
Georgia
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $42,773 to $127,680
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $48,298 to $144,172
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $56,850 to $169,702
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Hawaii
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $53,522 to $159,766
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $64,447 to $192,378
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $72,694 to $216,996
Idaho
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $41,527 to $123,960
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $45,395 to $135,508
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $53,479 to $159,640
Illinois
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $48,972 to $146,186
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $56,939 to $169,968
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $68,452 to $204,334
Indiana
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $42,360 to $126,448
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $49,472 to $147,678
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $58,007 to $173,156
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Iowa
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $46,347 to $138,350
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $52,985 to $158,164
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $63,128 to $188,442
Kansas
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $45,939 to $137,130
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $52,285 to $156,076
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $60,490 to $180,568
Kentucky
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $37,627 to $112,318
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $44,132 to $131,736
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $53,873 to $160,814
Louisiana
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $37,312 to $111,378
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $43,139 to $128,774
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $54,792 to $163,558
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Maine
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $43,831 to $130,840
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $53,410 to $159,434
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $62,685 to $187,120
Maryland
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $60,487 to $180,558
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $70,551 to $210,600
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $83,621 to $249,614
Massachusetts
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $57,063 to $170,338
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $71,220 to $212,596
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $87,939 to $262,504
Michigan
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $42,701 to $127,466
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $51,221 to $152,898
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $62,640 to $186,984
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Minnesota
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $52,135 to $155,628
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $63,777 to $190,380
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $75,671 to $225,884
Mississippi
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $34,818 to $103,934
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $38,130 to $113,820
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $46,144 to $137,742
Missouri
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $41,764 to $124,668
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $48,967 to $146,170
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $59,308 to $177,038
Montana
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $43,244 to $129,086
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $50,063 to $149,442
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $58,586 to $174,884
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Nebraska
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $47,635 to $142,194
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $53,725 to $160,374
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $62,752 to $187,320
Nevada
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $44,128 to $131,726
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $48,075 to $143,508
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $55,281 to $165,018
New Hampshire
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $54,027 to $161,274
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $67,094 to $200,280
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $80,950 to $241,642
New Jersey
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $56,409 to $168,384
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $70,741 to $211,166
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $86,287 to $257,572
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New Mexico
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $39,203 to $117,024
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $39,809 to $118,834
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $45,526 to $135,898
New York
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $48,674 to $145,296
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $57,889 to $172,802
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $70,331 to $209,944
North Carolina
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $41,704 to $124,490
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $46,987 to $140,260
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $56,648 to $169,098
North Dakota
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $51,942 to $155,050
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $58,328 to $174,114
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $69,738 to $208,174
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Ohio
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $42,765 to $127,658
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $50,684 to $151,296
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $61,094 to $182,370
Oklahoma
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $40,754 to $121,654
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $44,458 to $132,710
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $51,015 to $152,284
Oregon
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $46,467 to $138,708
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $53,830 to $160,686
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $63,013 to $188,100
Pennsylvania
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $45,202 to $134,932
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $56,004 to $167,176
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $67,667 to $201,990
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Rhode Island
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $50,797 to $151,632
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $58,581 to $174,870
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $72,251 to $215,674
South Carolina
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $40,983 to $122,338
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $44,612 to $133,170
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $54,252 to $161,946
South Dakota
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $45,763 to $136,606
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $51,908 to $154,948
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $59,443 to $177,442
Tennessee
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $40,158 to $119,874
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $45,967 to $137,216
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $54,118 to $161,546
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Texas
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $44,975 to $134,254
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $49,410 to $147,494
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $57,212 to $170,782
Utah
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $46,548 to $138,950
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $54,061 to $161,376
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $60,663 to $181,084
Vermont
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $48,509 to $144,804
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $56,703 to $169,262
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $66,453 to $198,368
Virginia
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $53,226 to $158,886
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $61,968 to $184,980
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $73,000 to $217,910
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Washington
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $53,747 to $160,438
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $61,211 to $182,720
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $71,747 to $214,170
West Virginia
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $35,377 to $105,602
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $43,122 to $128,722
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $51,654 to $154,192
Wisconsin
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $46,216 to $137,958
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $55,882 to $166,812
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $66,791 to $199,376
Wyoming
- 2-person family middle-class income range: $49,018 to $146,322
- 3-person family middle-class income range: $54,955 to $164,046
- 4-person family middle-class income range: $64,195.38 to $191,628
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Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting of this article.
Methodology: GOBankingRates found how much the middle class earns in every state by analyzing the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey data to determine how much a two-, three- and four-person middle-class family earns. Pew Research Center defines middle class as making two-thirds (67%) to double (200%) the national median income. 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. To find out how much a middle-class family is earning, GOBankingRates multiplied each median income by 0.67 for the lower limit and by 2 for the upper limit. Data is accurate as of Jan. 19, 2022.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What Income Level Is Considered Middle Class in Your State?
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
