Are you in the Middle Class?

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.8 Pew reports 260 of the 384 metropolitan areas.

Pew does this to address discrepancies in the cost of living throughout the nation. For example, housing costs and taxes in San Francisco are very high. As a result, a middle-class income in San Francisco is much higher than the national median.9

CNN provides a middle-class income calculator that will tell you how your household income ranks in your county. It's based on the Pew Research Center's analysis. Pew also developed its own calculator.