Here's how much money you need to make to be middle-class in every US state

On average across all 50 states, the US middle-class households earn between $53,935 and $161,806 annually. Bilanol/Getty Images Earnings vary widely across the US, and what constitutes the middle class does too. Massachusetts has the highest median household income in the US, while Mississippi has the lowest. The middle class is considered to earn between two-thirds and double the median income. You've been hearing about the K-shaped economy and the shrinking middle class , but what does it actually mean to be in the middle class at all in the US today? For many, the label can describe a suburban, non-excessive way of life, but the actual income it implies can span a wide range. A recent SmartAsset study calculated the income needed to be considered middle class in every US state. The study used the US Census Bureau's 2024 one-year American Community Survey median household income estimates for all 50 states. It applied a variation of the Pew Research Center's definition of middle class — households that earn between two-thirds and double the median income — to identify a middle-class salary range . Rankings were then determined by comparing the upper limit of middle-class income among states and ranking those earnings from highest to lowest. In five states, households earning over $200,000 can still be considered middle class, while in seven, you can be counted in the category even with household incomes of under $45,000. In Massachusetts, the highest-ranked state , a household can earn up to $209,656 and still be considered middle class, while in Mississippi, the lowest-ranked, earning more than $118,254 puts you above the threshold. Meanwhile, in West Virginia, the second-lowest, a household earning $40,532 can be considered middle class, while in New Jersey, the second-highest, it takes an annual income of $69,529 to do so. See how much money you really need to earn to be in the middle class in every US state . ALABAMA Kruck20/Getty Images Middle-class range: $44,439 to $133,318 Median household income: $66,659 Rank: 44 out of 50 ALASKA Juneau, Alaska. Lana2011/Getty Images Middle-class range: $63,777 to $191,330 Median household income: $95,665 Rank: 11 ARIZONA Tempe, Arizona. Kruck20/Getty Images Middle-class range: $54,324 to $162,972 Median household income: $81,486 Rank: 20 ARKANSAS Rdlamkin/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $41,404 to $124,212 Median household income: $62,106 Rank: 47 CALIFORNIA f11photo/Getty Images Middle-class range: $66,766 to $200,298 Median household income: $100,149 Rank: 5 COLORADO Nicholas Campbell/Getty Images Middle-class range: $64,742 to $194,226 Median household income: $97,113 Rank: 8 CONNECTICUT New Haven, Connecticut. Ashley RK Smith/Getty Images Middle-class range: $64,033 to $192,098 Median household income: $96,049 Rank: 10 DELAWARE Dewey Beach, Delaware. Tyler Smiley/Getty Images Middle-class range: $58,356 to $175,068 Median household income: $87,534 Rank: 13 FLORIDA St. Augustine, Florida. Bilanol/Getty Images Middle-class range: $51,823 to $155,470 Median household income: $77,735 Rank: 26 GEORGIA Sean Pavone/Getty Images Middle-class range: $53,327 to $159,982 Median household income: $79,991 Rank: 23 HAWAII Iryna Olkhova/Getty Images Middle-class range: $67,163 to $201,490 Median household income: $100,745 Rank: 4 IDAHO Boise, Idaho. knowlesgallery/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $54,111 to $162,332 Median household income: $81,166 Rank: 21 ILLINOIS Chicago. Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images Middle-class range: $55,474 to $166,422 Median household income: $83,211 Rank: 18 INDIANA Nicholas Klein/Getty Images Middle-class range: $47,973 to $143,918 Median household income: $71,959 Rank: 41 IOWA Des Moines, Iowa. Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images Middle-class range: $50,334 to $151,002 Median household income: $75,501 Rank: 34 KANSAS Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images Middle-class range: $50,343 to $151,028 Median household income: $75,514 Rank: 33 KENTUCKY littleny/Getty Images Middle-class range: $43,017 to $129,052 Median household income: $64,526 Rank: 46 LOUISIANA Baton Rouge, Louisiana. George Dodd/Getty Images Middle-class range: $40,657 to $121,972 Median household income: $60,986 Rank: 48 MAINE SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $50,961 to $152,884 Median household income: $76,442 Rank: 30 MARYLAND Baltimore. Thomas Berberich/Getty Images Middle-class range: $68,603 to $205,810 Median household income: $102,905 Rank: 3 MASSACHUSETTS Boston. Vadym Terelyuk/Getty Images Middle-class range: $69,885 to $209,656 Median household income: $104,828 Rank: 1 (the highest middle-class ceiling in the US) MICHIGAN Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $48,259 to $144,778 Median household income: $72,389 Rank: 37 MINNESOTA GummyBone/Getty Images Middle-class range: $58,078 to $174,234 Median household income: $87,117 Rank: 14 MISSISSIPPI Jackson, Mississippi. SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $39,418 to $118,254 Median household income: $59,127 Rank: 50 (the lowest middle-class ceiling in the US) MISSOURI Perry Spring/Getty Images Middle-class range: $47,726 to $143,178 Median household income: $71,589 Rank: 42 MONTANA Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images Middle-class range: $50,227 to $150,680 Median household income: $75,340 Rank: 35 NEBRASKA Sean Pavone/Getty Images Middle-class range: $50,917 to $152,752 Median household income: $76,376 Rank: 31 NEVADA Sean Pavone/Getty Images Middle-class range: $54,089 to $162,268 Median household income: $81,134 Rank: 22 NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord, New Hampshire. Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images Middle-class range: $66,521 to $199,564 Median household income: $99,782 Rank: 6 NEW JERSEY bluebeat76/Getty Images Middle-class range: $69,529 to $208,588 Median household income: $104,294 Rank: 2 NEW MEXICO Albuquerque, New Mexico. GummyBone/Getty Images Middle-class range: $45,211 to $135,632 Median household income: $67,816 Rank: 43 NEW YORK Wirestock/Getty Images Middle-class range: $57,213 to $171,640 Median household income: $85,820 Rank: 15 NORTH CAROLINA Kruck20/Getty Images Middle-class range: $49,305 to $147,916 Median household income: $73,958 Rank: 36 NORTH DAKOTA Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $51,914 to $155,742 Median household income: $77,871 Rank: 25 OHIO RudyBalasko/Getty Images Middle-class range: $48,141 to $144,424 Median household income: $72,212 Rank: 39 OKLAHOMA Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Middle-class range: $44,099 to $132,296 Median household income: $66,148 Rank: 45 OREGON Nicholas Klein/Getty Images Middle-class range: $56,813 to $170,440 Median household income: $85,220 Rank: 16 PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Middle-class range: $51,697 to $155,090 Median household income: $77,545 Rank: 27 RHODE ISLAND Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $55,669 to $167,008 Median household income: $83,504 Rank: 17 SOUTH CAROLINA Kruck20/Getty Images Middle-class range: $48,233 to $144,700 Median household income: $72,350 Rank: 38 SOUTH DAKOTA EunikaSopotnicka/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $51,254 to $153,762 Median household income: $76,881 Rank: 29 TENNESSEE Kruck20/Getty Images Middle-class range: $47,998 to $143,994 Median household income: $71,997 Rank: 40 TEXAS Houston. Kruck20/Getty Images Middle-class range: $53,147 to $159,442 Median household income: $79,721 Rank: 24 UTAH Vadym Terelyuk/Getty Images Middle-class range: $64,439 to $193,316 Median household income: $96,658 Rank: 9 VERMONT Jim Espey/Getty Images Middle-class range: $55,153 to $165,460 Median household income: $82,730 Rank: 19 VIRGINIA Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images/iStockphoto Middle-class range: $61,393 to $184,180 Median household income: $92,090 Rank: 12 WASHINGTON Engel Ching/Getty Images Middle-class range: $66,259 to $198,778 Median household income: $99,389 Rank: 7 WEST VIRGINIA Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Middle-class range: $40,532 to $121,596 Median household income: $60,798 Rank: 49 WISCONSIN Nicholas Klein/Getty Images Middle-class range: $51,659 to $154,976 Median household income: $77,488 Rank: 28 WYOMING HABesen/Getty Images Middle-class range: $50,355 to $151,064 Median household income: $75,532 Rank: 32 Read the original article on Business Insider