Here’s the breakdown across the Bay Area:
- San Francisco: Median household income $96,265, middle-class income range $64,177 to $192,530.
- Oakland: Median household income $63,251, middle-class income range $42,167 to $126,502.
- San Jose: Median household income $96,662, middle-class income range $64,441 to $193,324.
What is the middle income range in San Francisco?
In San Francisco, where the median household income is $96,265, the middle income range is $64,177 to an eye-popping $192,530. "Household income" means the total of what everyone in the home is earning.
What is the average income of the middle class?
Applying the two-thirds to double formula gives a rough “middle class” range of anywhere from over $55,000 to $165,800 for one person, or between $79,000 and $236,800 or a four-person household. It’s important to keep in mind that these kinds of back-of-the-envelope numbers are not very sensitive to context.
Which cities have the highest levels of middle class living?
Five of those — San Francisco, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Oakland and Fremont — landed in the study's top 20, in terms of how high the range stretches. All five cities were found to have extremely high upper limits for the middle class designation, but the highest wasn't San Francisco or somewhere in pricey Silicon Valley.
How does middle-class income work?
How Middle-Class Income Works Household Income Range Number of Households (Millions) % of Total Notes Less than $20,000 16.8 13.1% Below or near poverty level $20,000 - $44,999 25.8 20.0% Low income $45,000 - $139,999 59.3 46.1% Middle class $140,000 - $149,999 2.7 2.1% Upper middle class 3 more rows ...
What is a middle-class income in the SF Bay Area?
And with $300,000 nowadays considered the minimum salary needed to live a contentful, conventional middle-class existence in San Francisco, it's impossible to overlook the city's bleak livability standards.
What is a good salary in San Francisco Bay Area?
The average salary in San Francisco is $88,264. A good hourly wage in San Francisco is $36.06 per hour. That works out to a good weekly wage of $1,442 per week and a good monthly wage of $6,250 per month. However, using the median income is only one way to calculate a good salary in San Francisco.
What salary is considered middle-class in California?
Middle Class in Los Angeles CountyPersons in HouseholdHousehold IncomeLower ClassMiddle Class1Up to $32,793$32,794 to $98,3802Up to $46,376$46,377 to $139,1303Up to $56,799$56,800 to $170,3992 more rows
What salary is considered middle-class now?
The Pew Research Center has put a financial definition to the term "middle income." To be considered part of that group in 2021—which is synonymous with middle-class, according to Pew—a single American must have earned $30,003 to $90,010, according to a new set of reports released Wednesday.
Is 100k a good salary in San Francisco?
— and San Francisco is the only city where $100k isn't enough.”...5 cities where $100,000 barely covers your basics.RankCityAmount leftover after paying basic bills1San Francisco-$2,7342San Jose$1,8003Oakland$8,4484Los Angeles$9,6891 more row•May 17, 2019
What is considered middle-class in Bay Area?
Households earning around $80,000 to $165,000 qualify as “middle income” here, depending on the location and family size, compared with a national median income of $67,521.
What is middle class in San Francisco?
In San Francisco, the median household income is $112,449. Thus, the middle-class income ranges from $84,336.75 to $224,898. For families, the median income is $131,595 and the median for married couples is $156,504.
Is $150 000 a good salary in California?
Of those earning between $40,000 and $60,000 a year, 7% consider themselves “rich.” But when it comes to high-earners, those making $90,000 to $150,000 a year, just 9% consider themselves “rich” and 5% actually classify themselves as “poor.” “The higher your income,” the report concludes, “the higher you set the bar.”
What salary is considered upper class in California?
A family earning between $32,048 and $53,413 was considered lower-middle class. For high earners, a three-person family needed an income between $106,827 and $373,894 to be considered upper-middle class, Rose says. Those who earn more than $373,894 are rich.
What percentage of Americans make over $100000?
30.7%About 30.7% of households earned over $100,000 in 2020. In 2019, around 15.5% of Americans earned between $100,000 and $149,999; about 8.3% of the population earned between $150,000 and $199,999; and about 10.3% of the population earned over $200,000.
What is upper class salary?
An upper class income is usually considered at least 50% higher than the median household income. Therefore, an upper class income in America is $100,000 and higher.
How much does the average 36 year old make?
What was the average and median income by age in 2021?Age25%Median35$28,404.00$50,001.0036$28,299.00$50,879.0037$30,000.00$50,022.0038$28,300.00$50,000.0038 more rows
What is middle class income?
Middle-class income, or middle-income households, are those with incomes that are two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income, according to the Pew Research Center. Learn what middle-class income means, how this metric is calculated, and which factors (other than income) impact who's considered "middle class.".
What is the median income of a middle class person?
1 . The U.S. Census Bureau found that the 2019 median household income was $68,703.
How Is Middle-Class Income Measured?
Census Bureau data on median income per household. Then, it creates different middle-class standards for each "metropolitan statistical area." These are Census Bureau areas that correspond to cities. 8 Pew reports 260 of the 384 metropolitan areas.
What is the middle income of a household?
Using $67,521 as the base, the Pew definition of middle income would include households earning between $45,239 and $135,042.
What about those who don't earn high incomes but spend a lot?
And what about those who don't earn high incomes but spend a lot? They may appear to have a middle-class way of life and live off savings, alimony, or government payments that aren't measured as income.
How many households are there in the US in 2019?
The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 128.5 million households in the United States in 2019. 2 They can be divided into groups that correspond to the Pew definitions of the middle class. The lowest-income groups are within range of the federal poverty level .
What is the poverty level in 2021?
As of 2021, the federal poverty level ranges from $12,880 for one person to $44,660 for a household of eight. 4
What is the median income in San Francisco?
In San Francisco, where the median household income is $96,265, the middle income range is $64,177 to an eye-popping $192,530. "Household income" means the total of what everyone in the home is earning.
How to find out what your middle class is?
To check the range where you live, take your zip code's median income ( find it here ), multiply it by 0.66666 and also multiply it by 2. That will give you your city's "middle class range." Household size can factor in significantly; class status would vary drastically within that range, depending on whether you have four or five people to support on that household income, versus a single person without kids.
What to do
We compare your income to other San Franciscans by using AMI. 100% AMI is the middle number when looking at a list of all San Francisco incomes. AMI also depends on household size.
Annual updates
AMI is updated every year by the Federal Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). HUD uses data from the census and the American Community Survey. They calculate 100% AMI for a family or 4 for cities and regions across the entire United States. HUD publishes 2 AMI charts, typically by early April.
Special cases
For City housing programs, we calculate nontaxable income and your dependents' income differently, if it helps you qualify. Read more about these special income calculations.

Definition and Examples of Middle-Class Income
How Middle-Class Income Works
- The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 130 million households in the United States in 2020. They can be divided into groups that correspond to the Pew definitions of the middle class. The lowest income groups are within range of the federal poverty level. As of 2021, the federal poverty level ranges from $12,880 for one person to $44,660 for a household of eight.4 T…
How Is Middle-Class Income Measured?
- Pew starts with the U.S. Census Bureau data on median income per household. Then, it creates different middle-class standards for each "metropolitan statistical area." These are Census Bureau areas that correspond to cities.8Pew reports 260 of the 384 metropolitan areas. Pew does this to address discrepancies in the cost of living throughout the nation. For example, …
Alternatives to Middle-Class Income
- Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich suggested that the middle class should be defined as households with income levels ranging from 50% below the median to 50% above it.10That would place the middle class between $33,761 and $101,281, based on the Census median income of $67,521. The Brookings Institution defines the middle class as the mid...