www.pewresearch.org
Open in
urlscan Pro
192.0.66.2
Public Scan
URL:
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/07/23/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class/
Submission: On May 20 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Submission: On May 20 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Form analysis 6 forms found in the DOM
GET https://www.pewresearch.org/
<form role="search" method="get" action="https://www.pewresearch.org/" class="wp-block-search__button-outside wp-block-search__icon-button prc-block-theme-masthead-search wp-block-search"><label class="wp-block-search__label screen-reader-text"
for="wp-block-search__input-9">Search</label>
<div class="wp-block-search__inside-wrapper " style="width: 330px"><input class="wp-block-search__input has-border-color" id="wp-block-search__input-9" placeholder="Search pewresearch.org..." value="" type="search" name="s" required=""
style="border-color: #818181;border-radius: 0px"><button aria-label="Search" class="wp-block-search__button has-border-color has-icon wp-element-button" type="submit" style="border-color: #818181;border-radius: 0px"><svg class="search-icon"
viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="24" height="24">
<path d="M13 5c-3.3 0-6 2.7-6 6 0 1.4.5 2.7 1.3 3.7l-3.8 3.8 1.1 1.1 3.8-3.8c1 .8 2.3 1.3 3.7 1.3 3.3 0 6-2.7 6-6S16.3 5 13 5zm0 10.5c-2.5 0-4.5-2-4.5-4.5s2-4.5 4.5-4.5 4.5 2 4.5 4.5-2 4.5-4.5 4.5z"></path>
</svg></button></div>
</form>GET https://www.pewresearch.org/
<form role="search" method="get" action="https://www.pewresearch.org/" class="wp-block-search__button-inside wp-block-search__icon-button wp-block-search"><label class="wp-block-search__label screen-reader-text"
for="wp-block-search__input-31">Search</label>
<div class="wp-block-search__inside-wrapper has-border-color has-ui-black-border-color" style="width: 640px;border-width: 1px"><input class="wp-block-search__input" id="wp-block-search__input-31" placeholder="" value="" type="search" name="s"
required=""><button aria-label="Search" class="wp-block-search__button has-text-color has-ui-white-color has-background has-ui-black-background-color has-icon wp-element-button" type="submit"><svg class="search-icon" viewBox="0 0 24 24"
width="24" height="24">
<path d="M13 5c-3.3 0-6 2.7-6 6 0 1.4.5 2.7 1.3 3.7l-3.8 3.8 1.1 1.1 3.8-3.8c1 .8 2.3 1.3 3.7 1.3 3.3 0 6-2.7 6-6S16.3 5 13 5zm0 10.5c-2.5 0-4.5-2-4.5-4.5s2-4.5 4.5-4.5 4.5 2 4.5 4.5-2 4.5-4.5 4.5z"></path>
</svg></button></div>
</form><form action=""> <input type="radio" name="education" value="hs_less" disabled="disabled">Less than high school<br><input type="radio" name="education" value="hs" disabled="disabled">High school graduate<br><input type="radio" name="education"
value="coll_less" disabled="disabled">Two-year degree/Some college<br><input type="radio" name="education" value="coll" disabled="disabled">Bachelor's degree or more<br></form><form action=""> <input type="radio" name="age" value="18-29" disabled="disabled">18 to 29<br><input type="radio" name="age" value="30-44" disabled="disabled">30 to 44<br><input type="radio" name="age" value="45-64" disabled="disabled">45 to
64<br><input type="radio" name="age" value="65plus" disabled="disabled">65 or older<br></form><form action=""> <input type="radio" name="race" value="white" disabled="disabled">White<br><input type="radio" name="race" value="hispanic" disabled="disabled">Hispanic<br><input type="radio" name="race" value="black"
disabled="disabled">Black<br><input type="radio" name="race" value="asian" disabled="disabled">Asian<br><input type="radio" name="race" value="other" disabled="disabled">Other or multiracial<br></form><form action=""> <input type="radio" name="marital" value="married" disabled="disabled">Married<br><input type="radio" name="marital" value="not_married" disabled="disabled">Not married<br></form>Text Content
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
* Newsletters
* Press
* My Account
* Donate
* Contacted By Us?
Read our research on:
* Gun Policy
* International Conflict
* Election 2024
Search
* Research Topics
TOPICS
Politics & Policy
International Affairs
Immigration & Migration
Race & Ethnicity
Religion
Age & Generations
Gender & LGBTQ
Family & Relationships
Economy & Work
Science
Internet & Technology
News Habits & Media
Methodological Research
Full Topic List
REGIONS & COUNTRIES
Asia & the Pacific
Europe & Russia
Latin America
Middle East & North Africa
North America
Sub-Saharan Africa
Multiple Regions / Worldwide
FORMATS
Feature
Fact Sheet
Video
Data Essay
* Publications
* Our Methods
* Short Reads
* Tools & Resources
* Experts
* About Us
* * Research Topics
* Publications
* Short Reads
* Tools & Resources
* About Pew Research Center
* Newsletters
* My Account
* Contacted By Us?
* Search
Read Our Research On:
* Gun Policy
* International Conflict
* Election 2024
Home Research Topics Economy & Work Income, Wealth & Poverty Income & Wages
* Feature
|
July 23, 2020
X Facebook Threads LinkedIn WhatsApp Share
ARE YOU IN THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS? FIND OUT WITH OUR INCOME CALCULATOR
By Jesse Bennett, Richard Fry and Rakesh Kochhar
About half of U.S. adults (52%) lived in middle-income households in 2018,
according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data. Roughly
three-in-ten (29%) were in lower-income households and 19% were in upper-income
households.
Our calculator below, updated with 2018 data, lets you find out which group you
are in – first compared with other adults in your metropolitan area and among
American adults overall, and then compared with other adults in the United
States similar to you in education, age, race or ethnicity, and marital status.
Step 1: See where you are in the distribution of Americans by income tier. Enter
the location that best describes where you live, your household income and the
number of people in your household. The calculator adjusts for the cost of
living in your area.
State:
Select a
stateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict
of
ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew
HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth
DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth
DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Select a state
Select a state
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Metropolitan area:
Metro area
Metro area
Metro area
Household income before taxes:
People in my household:
Based on your household income and the number of people in your household, you
are in the tktk income tier, along with tktk% of adults in tktk.
tktk
Share of adults in each income tier in your metro area and in the U.S.
Share of American adults
in each income tier
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2: Now compare yourself to others in the U.S. with your demographic profile
Education
Less than high school
High school graduate
Two-year degree/Some college
Bachelor's degree or more
Age
18 to 29
30 to 44
45 to 64
65 or older
Race/ethnicity
White
Hispanic
Black
Asian
Other or multiracial
Marital status
Married
Not married
Among all American adults with your education, age, race or ethnicity, and
marital status, tktk% are lower income, tktk% are middle income and tktk% are
upper income.
Our latest analysis shows that the share of adults who live in middle-income
households varies widely across the 260 metropolitan areas examined, from 39% in
Las Cruces, New Mexico, to 67% in Ogden-Clearfield, Utah. The share of adults
who live in lower-income households ranges from 16% in Ogden-Clearfield to 49%
in Las Cruces. The estimated share living in upper-income households is greatest
in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California (34%) and the smallest in El
Centro, California (7%).
Lower-income adults, already under significant financial pressure, have been
especially vulnerable to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak in
2020, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 29-May 5, 2020.
The survey found that 36% of lower-income adults and 28% of middle-income adults
said they had lost a job or taken a pay cut due to the coronavirus outbreak,
compared with 22% of upper-income adults. In a Center survey conducted in April
2020, only 23% of lower-income adults said they had rainy day funds that could
last three months, compared with 48% of middle-income adults and 75% of
upper-income adults.
How we did this
Pew Research Center designed this calculator as a way for users to see, based on
the Center’s analysis, where they appear in the distribution of U.S. adults by
income tier, as well as how they compare with others in their own demographic
profile.
In our analysis, “middle-income” Americans are adults whose annual household
income is two-thirds to double the national median, after incomes have been
adjusted for household size. Lower-income households have incomes lower than
two-thirds of the median, and upper-income households have incomes that are more
than double the median.
In 2018, the national middle-income range was about $48,500 to $145,500 annually
for a household of three. Lower-income households had incomes less than $48,500
and upper-income households had incomes greater than $145,500 (incomes in 2018
dollars).
These income ranges vary with the cost of living in metropolitan areas and with
household size. A household in a metropolitan area with a higher-than-average
cost of living or one with four or more people needs more than $48,500 to be
included in the middle-income tier. Households in less expensive areas or with
less than three people need less than $48,500 to be considered middle income.
Additional details on the methodology are available in our earlier analyses.
HOW THE INCOME CALCULATOR WORKS
The calculator takes your household income and adjusts it for the size of your
household. The income is revised upward for households that are below average in
size and downward for those of above average size. This way, each household’s
income is made equivalent to the income of a three-person household (the whole
number nearest to the average size of a U.S. household, which was 2.5 in 2018).
Pew Research Center does not store or share any of the information you enter.
Your size-adjusted household income and the cost of living in your area are the
factors we use to determine your income tier. Middle-income households – those
with an income that is two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income –
had incomes ranging from about $48,500 to $145,500 in 2018. Lower-income
households had incomes less than $48,500 and upper-income households had incomes
greater than $145,500 (all figures computed for three-person households,
adjusted for the cost of living in a metropolitan area, and expressed in 2018
dollars).
The following example illustrates how cost-of-living adjustment for a given area
was calculated: Jackson, Tennessee, is a relatively inexpensive area, with
a price level in 2018 that was 19.0% less than the national average. The San
Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metropolitan area in California is one of the most
expensive areas, with a price level that was 31.6% higher than the national
average. Thus, to step over the national middle-class threshold of $48,500, a
household in Jackson needs an income of only about $39,300, or 19.0% less than
the national standard. But a household in the San Francisco area needs a
reported income of about $63,800, or 31.6% more than the U.S. norm, to join the
middle class.
The income calculator encompasses 260 of some 384 metropolitan areas in the
U.S., as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. If you live in an area
outside of one of these 260 areas, the calculator reports the estimates for your
state.
The second part of our calculator asks you more questions about your education,
age, race or ethnicity, and marital status. This allows you to see how other
adults who are similar to you demographically are distributed across lower-,
middle- and upper-income tiers in the U.S. overall. It does not recompute your
economic tier.
Note: This post and interactive calculator were originally published Dec. 9,
2015, and have been updated to reflect the Center’s new analysis.
Topics
* Income & Wages
* Middle Class
Share This Link:
X Facebook Threads LinkedIn WhatsApp Share
Jesse Bennett is a former research analyst focusing on social and demographic
trends research at Pew Research Center.
Richard Fry is a senior researcher focusing on economics and education at Pew
Research Center.
Rakesh Kochhar is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center.
RELATED
short readsApr 9, 2024
7 FACTS ABOUT AMERICANS AND TAXES
reportMar 27, 2024
METHODOLOGY: 2023 FOCUS GROUPS OF ASIAN AMERICANS
videoMar 27, 2024
1 IN 10: REDEFINING THE ASIAN AMERICAN DREAM (SHORT FILM)
data essayMar 27, 2024
THE HARDSHIPS AND DREAMS OF ASIAN AMERICANS LIVING IN POVERTY
reportFeb 8, 2024
BLACK AMERICANS’ VIEWS ON SUCCESS IN THE U.S.
TOPICS
* Income & Wages
* Middle Class
MOST POPULAR
1
Broad Public Support for Legal Abortion Persists 2 Years After Dobbs
2
9 facts about Americans and marijuana
3
Americans’ Changing Relationship With Local News
4
Teens and Video Games Today
5
What the data says about crime in the U.S.
1615 L St. NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
USA
(+1) 202-419-4300 | Main
(+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax
(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries
RESEARCH TOPICS
* Age & Generations
* Coronavirus (COVID-19)
* Economy & Work
* Family & Relationships
* Gender & LGBTQ
* Immigration & Migration
* International Affairs
* Internet & Technology
* Methodological Research
* News Habits & Media
* Non-U.S. Governments
* Other Topics
* Politics & Policy
* Race & Ethnicity
* Religion
* Science
FOLLOW US
* Email Newsletters
* Instagram
* Facebook
* Twitter
* Tumblr
* YouTube
* RSS Feed
ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that
informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It
conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis
and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take
policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Copyright 2024 Pew Research Center
* About
* Terms & Conditions
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Settings
* Reprints, Permissions & Use Policy
* Feedback
* Careers
PRIVACY NOTICE
We use cookies and other technologies to help improve your experience; some are
necessary for the site to work, and some are optional. Learn more in ourprivacy
policy.
Accept ALL cookies
Accept only necessary cookies
Cookie Settings
PRIVACY PREFERENCE CENTER
INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE
This Cookie Notice (the “Notice”) is designed to assist you in understanding how
and why Pew Research Center (the “Center,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) uses cookies
and other similar technologies (“Tracking Technologies”) on our family of
websites, which include www.pewresearch.org and any other webpage linking to
this Notice (collectively, the “Websites”) to collect and develop data. We use
Tracking Technologies to allow the Websites to operate, to increase their
functionality and efficiency, to enable the efficient operation of the Sites, to
enhance the ease of use of the Sites, to display advertisements on the Sites and
elsewhere online, to gather statistics on how you use our Sites, and to fulfill
other legitimate purposes as described below.
To the extent that any information collected by the Tracking Technologies,
either on its own or in combination with other information, constitutes Personal
Data as the term is defined in our Privacy Policy, both our Privacy Policy and
this Notice shall apply to the processing and transferring of such Personal
Data.
For more information about how we use cookies click "More Information" below
More Information Vendor List
Allow All
MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES
STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched
off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you
which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy
preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block
or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
View Vendor Details
PERFORMANCE COOKIES
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and
improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the
most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All
information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you
do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and
will not be able to monitor its performance.
View Vendor Details
FUNCTIONAL COOKIES
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and
personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose
services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some
or all of these services may not function properly.
View Vendor Details
TARGETING COOKIES
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may
be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you
relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal
information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet
device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted
advertising.
View Vendor Details
Back Button
VENDORS LIST
Search Icon
Filter Icon
Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
Accept Only Necessary Cookies Confirm My Choices