Are you middle class? Use this calculator to compare income levels in NY, other states

Cash money AP file photo

Twenty-dollar bills are counted June 15, 2018, in North Andover, Massachusetts.AP File Photo/Elise Amendola

What is middle class? How much money do you have to make to be middle class?

“Class” may sound like a subjective term, but the Pew Research Center defines middle class, or middle-income households as those with incomes that are between two-thirds and double the median household income. About half of U.S. adults (52%) lived in middle-income households in 2018, according to the most recent available government data; 29% were lower-income and 19% were upper-income households.

Financial website gobankingrates.com points out that “middle class” can be defined differently from state to state, as the cost of living and average income varies across America.

In New York state, a two-person family would be considered middle class if the household’s income range is between $46,597 and $139,098. A three-person middle-class family’s income would range from $55,155 to $164,644, and a four-person family in the middle tier would have income between $67,252.59 to $200,754.

In most parts of Upstate New York, middle income would be lower due to a reduced cost of living compared to NYC.

In Syracuse, for example, a two-person family is “middle class” if their household income before taxes is between $38,300 and $114,600 — about 18% lower than in the rest of the Empire State. Middle-income for a four-person family in Syracuse ranges from $54,000 a year to $162,100.

Still, New York state has a lower middle-class income range than a dozen other states, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey. Maryland has the highest middle-class income range for a two-person family, starting at $58,147, and a four-person family in Massachusetts could earn up to $250,000 a year and still be considered middle-income.

States with lower middle-class income ranges than New York include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. All start below $40,000 for a two-person family to be considered middle class.

Use the income calculator below to determine if you’re considered “middle class” where you live. The tool also lets you compare other adults in your metropolitan area and others similar to you nationwide in education, age, race or ethnicity, and marital status.

Note: If income calculator widget doesn’t work on your browser, click here.

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