The income threshold for the middle class in the United States will be announced in 2025, and it’s a bit heartbreaking.

Want to live a decent middle-class life? The income requirement has risen.

The latest data shows that the income range for the middle class in 100 major cities in the United States is between $49,000 and $71,000, a significant rise compared to last year. The biggest disparities are in those tech cities —

Outrageous City Rankings

• Arlington, Virginia: The middle-class ceiling is up to $280,000 (you read that right)
• San Jose, California: $272,000
• Irvine, California: $256,000
• San Francisco: $253,000

What about those traditional industrial cities?

• Detroit: The minimum required to be considered middle class is $25,000.
• Cleveland: $26,000

State-level wealth gap

Massachusetts has surpassed New Jersey for the first time, becoming the state with the highest costs for the middle class (with middle-class income ranges of $66,000 to $199,000). Meanwhile, Mississippi is the cheapest, with costs ranging from $36,000 to $108,000.

Core Data

• Median income for middle class in large cities: $74,000
• Rise from last year to this year: average increase of 2-5%

In simple terms, inflation is eating away at the savings of the middle class, and income needs to keep up to maintain that “middle-class dream.” What is the middle-class threshold in your city/state?