50 Cities Where Earning $200,000 Is Considered Middle Class

A generation ago, an annual salary of $100,000 meant you had arrived, that you were part of the upper crust in your community. Then, $100,000 in wages became the standard for living a middle-class existence.

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Now, there are plenty of places you could live where $200,000 in yearly earnings is considered middle class. GOBankingRates found the 50 largest cities, in terms of total households, where a person could be paid $200,000 per year and still be regarded as middle class. GOBankingRates defined a middle-class income as two-thirds to double an area’s median household income.

The results turned up cities in all four corners of the United States, and perhaps it’s no surprise that almost half of them — 23 — sit in pricey California. Here’s how the communities nearest to you fared in the study, listed by a city’s median household income, lowest to highest.

Scroll on to see if your city made the list.

Also see 30 cities where the middle class is thriving.

Stamford, Connecticut

• Median household income: $100,718

• Middle-class income range: $67,145 to $201,43

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Overland Park, Kansas

• Median household income: $100,876

• Middle-class income range: $67,251 to $201,752 

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Washington, D.C.

• Median household income: $101,722

• Middle-class income range: $67,815 to $203,444

Chula Vista, California

• Median household income: $101,984

• Middle-class income range: $67,989 to $203,968

Lee’s Summit, Missouri

• Median household income: $103,447

• Middle-class income range: $68,965 to $206,894

Corona, California

• Median household income: $103,727

• Middle-class income range: $69,151 to $207, 454

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Scottsdale, Arizona

• Median household income: $104,197

• Middle-class income range: $69,465 to $208,394

Berkeley, California

• Median household income: $104,716

• Middle-class income range: $69,811 to $209,432

Costa Mesa, California

• Median household income: $104,981

• Middle-class income range: $69,987 to $209,962

Hayward, California

• Median household income: $105,371

• Middle-class income range: $70,247 to $210,742

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Rancho Cucamonga, California

• Median household income: $105,534

• Middle-class income range: $70,356 to $211,068

Plano, Texas

• Median household income: $105,679

• Middle-class income range: $70,453 to $211,358

Arvada, Colorado

• Median household income: $106,014

• Middle-class income range: $70,676 to $212,028

Santa Monica, California

• Median household income: $106,797

• Middle-class income range: $71,198 to $213,594

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Concord

• Median household income: $107,789

• Middle-class income range: $71,859 to $215,578

Olathe, Kansas

• Median household income: $108,077

• Middle-class income range: $72,051 to $216,154

Orange, California

• Median household income: $109,335

• Middle-class income range: $72,890 to $218,670

Torrance, California

• Median household income: $109,554

• Middle-class income range: $73,036 to $219,108

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Pearland, Texas

• Median household income: $111,123

• Middle-class income range: $74,082 to $222,246

Simi Valley, California

• Median household income: $112,144

• Middle-class income range: $74,763 to $224,288

Roseville, California

• Median household income: $112,265

• Middle-class income range: $74,843 to $224,530

Alexandria, Virginia

• Median household income: $113,179

• Middle-class income range: $75,453 to $226,358

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McKinney, Texas

• Median household income: $113,286

• Middle-class income range: $75,524 to $226,572

Huntington Beach, California

• Median household income: $114,747

• Middle-class income range: $76,498 to $229,494

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

• Median household income: $115,167

• Middle-class income range: $76,778 to $230,334

Gilbert, Arizona

• Median household income: $115,179

• Middle-class income range: $76,786 to $230,358

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Elk Grove, California

• Median household income: $115,864

• Middle-class income range: $77,243 to $231,728

Seattle

• Median household income: $116,068

• Middle-class income range: $77,379 to $232,136

Santa Clarita, California

• Median household income: $116,186

• Middle-class income range: $77,457 to $232,372

League City, Texas

• Median household income: $117,316

• Middle-class income range: $78,211 to $234,632

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Cambridge, Massachusetts

• Median household income: $121,539

• Middle-class income range: $81,026 to $243,078

Irvine, California

• Median household income: $122,948

• Middle-class income range: $81,965 to $245,896

Columbia, Maryland

• Median household income: $124,537

• Middle-class income range: $83,025 to $249,074

Centennial, Colorado

• Median household income: $124,617

• Middle-class income range: $83,078 to $249,234

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Cary, North Carolina

• Median household income: $125,317

• Middle-class income range: $83,545 to $250,634

Thousand Oaks, California

• Median household income: $125,399

• Middle-class income range: $83,599 to $250,798

Carmel, Indiana

• Median household income: $132,859

• Middle-class income range: $88,573 to $265,718

Carlsbad, California

• Median household income: $134,139

• Middle-class income range: $89,426 to $268,278

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San Jose, California

• Median household income: $136,010

• Middle-class income range: $90,673 to $272,020

San Francisco

• Median household income: $136,689

• Middle-class income range: $91,126 to $273,378

Arlington, Virginia

• Median household income: $137,387

• Middle-class income range: $91,126 to $273,378

The Woodlands, Texas

• Median household income: $142,384

• Middle-class income range: $94,923 to $284,768

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Naperville, Illinois

• Median household income: $143,754

• Middle-class income range: $95,836 to $287,508

Frisco, Texas

• Median household income: $144,567

• Middle-class income range: $96,378 to $289,134

San Mateo, California

• Median household income: $149,152

• Middle-class income range: $99,435 to $298,304

Newport Beach, California

• Median household income: $149,471

• Middle-class income range: $99,647 to $298,942

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Bellevue, Washington

• Median household income: $149,551

• Middle-class income range: $99,701 to $299,102

Santa Clara, California

• Median household income: $165,352

• Middle-class income range: $110,235 to $330,704

Fremont, California

• Median household income: $169,023

• Middle-class income range: $112,682 to $338,046

Sunnyvale, California

• Median household income: $174,506

• Middle-class income range: $116,337 to $349,012

Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates found the 50 largest cities, in terms of total households, where one could make $200,000 and still be considered middle-class. For this purpose, GOBankingRates defines middle-class income as two-thirds to double the income of an area. All data was sourced from the 2022 American Community Survey and is up to date as of June 10, 2024.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 50 Cities Where Earning $200,000 Is Considered Middle Class