What is a middle class income?
Middle class income is defined against the national median, not as one fixed salary. If you are asking whether you are middle class, or what upper middle class income looks like, the Pew Research Center rule and the 2025 Census household income distribution are the two figures used on this page.
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The common definition
Pew Research Center, The State of the American Middle Class (May 2024) defines middle income as two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income, adjusted for household size. Pew's published range: about $61,000 to $183,000 for a three-person household (2022 income, 2023 dollars, CPS ASEC 2023). Income below that range is lower income. Income above that range is upper income.
Applied to the 2025 Census median
The Census 2025 median household income is $87,460. Two-thirds of that median is $58,307. Double that median is $174,920.
- Two-thirds of the median
- $58,307
- Double the median
- $174,920
These two amounts are a simple illustration of the Pew rule applied to the unadjusted median, not Pew's own size-adjusted figure. Pew's published band moves with household size. On the 2025 Census distribution, $58,307 sits at about the 34th percentile and $174,920 sits at about the 78th percentile of U.S. household income. Roughly 44% of households fall between them, by interpolation between published percentiles.
Upper middle class and top incomes
There is no official definition of upper middle class. The 80th, 90th, and 95th percentile household incomes are often used as markers of the upper end of the distribution. In 2025 the Census figures are $182,400 (80th), $261,300 (90th), and $354,000 (95th).
- 80th percentile
- $182,400
- 90th percentile
- $261,300
- 95th percentile
- $354,000
Median household income by age of householder (2025)
| Age | Median |
|---|---|
| 15 to 24 | $60,870 |
| 25 to 34 | $94,880 |
| 35 to 44 | $114,100 |
| 45 to 54 | $120,100 |
| 55 to 64 | $99,320 |
| 65 and older | $59,680 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2025 (P60-289), Table 1.
Household income percentiles (2025)
| Percentile | Household income |
|---|---|
| 10th | $20,010 |
| 20th | $35,800 |
| 30th | $51,330 |
| 40th | $68,600 |
| 50th | $87,460 |
| 60th | $110,300 |
| 70th | $140,900 |
| 80th | $182,400 |
| 90th | $261,300 |
| 95th | $354,000 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2025 (P60-289), Table 6.
Frequently asked questions
What income is middle class in the U.S.?
Pew Research Center defines middle income as two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income, adjusted for household size. For a three-person household, Pew's published range is about $61,000 to $183,000 (2022 income, 2023 dollars, CPS ASEC 2023). Income below that range is lower income. Income above it is upper income. Applied to the unadjusted 2025 Census median of $87,460, two-thirds is $58,307 and double is $174,920. That pair illustrates the Pew rule on the national median. It is not Pew's size-adjusted figure.
Am I middle class?
Compare your household income with the Pew band for your household size. As a national illustration, two-thirds to double the unadjusted 2025 median runs from $58,307 to $174,920. Those bounds sit at about the 34th and 78th percentiles of U.S. household income, so roughly 44% of households fall between them, by interpolation between published Census percentiles. The household income percentile calculator places your own income on that distribution.
What is upper middle class income?
There is no official definition of upper middle class income. The 80th, 90th, and 95th percentiles of U.S. household income are often used as markers. In 2025 those Census figures are $182,400, $261,300, and $354,000. Pew's upper income group starts above double the size-adjusted median.