- Here's how much you need to makein each state to be upper class — and what percentage of each state is.
- The upper class in Washington, DC, starts at $202,000, while in Mississippi, it's $105,400.
- More than 21% of DC residents are upper class, compared with just 14.4% in Alaska.
Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview
Thanks for signing up!
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.
Advertisem*nt
This map shows just how much Americans in each state need to make to be considered in the upper class — and what percentage of residents fall into that demographic.
A Business Insider analysis of 2022 US Census Bureau data, the latest year for which data is available, has found that 21.1% of people in Washington, DC, are considered upper class, with household incomes above $202,000. Meanwhile, just 14.4% of Alaskan households are upper class, earning above $176,000.
Related stories
That's based on the Pew Research Center's definition of upper class, which is earning at least double a state's median income. This means that states with households with more income dispersion may have more people in the upper class, even with a higher income cutoff.
The Census Bureau notes that the real median household income nationally was $74,580 in 2022, ranging on a state level from $52,700 to $101,000. This means the upper class in one state could still be considered middle class in another.
Advertisem*nt
Even so, being upper class may not feel like swimming in wealth. For instance, some HENRYs — high earners, not rich yet — previously told BI that even with household incomes clearly landing them in the upper class, they were still worried about retirement, buying a home, having kids, or going on vacations.
DC has the highest cutoff, followed by New Jersey at nearly $192,700 per household. Maryland, Massachusetts, Hawaii, California, and Washington all have cutoffs in the range of $180,000 to $190,000 per household.
When looking at the share of households in the upper class, the top 10 shifts. New York has the second-highest share in the upper class at nearly 21%, even though the cutoff is $159,100. Louisiana, with a cutoff of more than $110,800, was ranked third.
Nearly every state in the bottom 10 for upper-class cutoffs was in the South. To be upper class in Mississippi — which 19.3% of the population is — households must make a bit more than $105,400. West Virginia comes in at $108,650, while Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Alabama, and New Mexico are all below $120,000.
Advertisem*nt
The list of states with the lowest shares of people in the upper class also doesn't correspond. Alaska, Utah, and Idaho have below 15% of their populations in the upper class, while Wyoming and Delaware are in the 15% range.
Do you feel upper class? Did you move to another state where you could feel more financially secure? Tell this reporter why or why not at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.
Read next
Watch:
Advertisem*nt
