What determines who is in the middle class?
The number of Americans who are in the middle class has declined in recent years, according to the Pew Research Center. From 1971 to 2023, the share of Americans who live in lower-income households increased from 27% to 30%, and the share in upper-income households increased from 11% to 19%, a study revealed.
Which bracket you fall in depends on where you live - and how much you earn.
The website GOBankingRates used the median household income, total population and households to find each state’s middle-class income range. Researchers then calculated each state's middle-class income using Pew's definition of middle class.
The research center defines middle class as those earning between two-thirds and twice the median American household income, according to CNBC. Based on the most recent data, the median household income in Illinois was $81,702.
As a result, those earning between $54,468 and $163,404 were considered in the middle class. The upper middle class, meanwhile, begins at $127,092.
You might be wondering - where do neighboring states stand?
Local
In Indiana, the middle-class income range is between $46,701 and $140,102 based on a median household income of $70,051, according to research.
To be considered in the upper middle class, one must have an income of at least $108,968.
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The median household income for Wisconsin sits between Illinois and Indiana at $75,670. Anyone who makes between $50,447 and $151,340 is said to be middle class, while those earning above $117,709 are deemed upper middle class.
