Once you’ve made it to the rungs of the middle class, you may have your sights set on graduating to the upper middle class. This is a fairly elite group — only 14% of the U.S. population identify as “upper middle class,” according to a 2022 Gallup survey.
If becoming upper middle class is a nonnegotiable goal, you may have better odds of reaching it in the South, a region that is home to more “affordable” states than any other. Still, you can find some incredibly upscale areas in the South. How much do you need to make annually to be considered upper middle class in these places?
In a new study, GOBankingRates found the 50 wealthiest cities in the South and then determined the upper-middle-class income ranges for each.
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Median household income: $112,656
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $175,244
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $225,312
Median household income: $113,245
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $176,160
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $226,490
Median household income: $113,600
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $176,712
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $227,200
Median household income: $113,638
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $176,771
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $227,276
Median household income: $114,443
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $178,023
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $228,886
Median household income: $115,000
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $178,890
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $230,000
Median household income: $115,453
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $179,595
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $230,906
Median household income: $116,590
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $181,363
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $233,180
Median household income: $117,448
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $182,698
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $234,896
Median household income: $119,870
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $186,465
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $239,740
Median household income: $119,951
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $186,591
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $239,902
Median household income: $120,273
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $187,092
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $240,546
Median household income: $120,721
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $187,789
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $241,442
Median household income: $121,364
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $188,789
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $242,728
Median household income: $122,384
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $190,376
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $244,768
Median household income: $123,586
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $192,246
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $247,172
Median household income: $123,972
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $192,846
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $247,944
Median household income: $124,422
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $193,546
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $248,844
Median household income: $128,970
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $200,621
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $257,940
Median household income: $129,130
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $200,870
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $258,260
Median household income: $129,173
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $200,937
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $258,346
Median household income: $129,399
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $201,288
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $258,798
Median household income: $130,627
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $203,199
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $261,254
Median household income: $131,436
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $204,457
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $262,872
Median household income: $137,511
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $213,907
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $275,022
Median household income: $138,442
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $215,355
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $276,884
Median household income: $139,515
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $217,024
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $279,030
Median household income: $140,160
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $218,028
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $280,320
Median household income: $140,180
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $218,059
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $280,360
Median household income: $140,501
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $218,558
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $281,002
Median household income: $141,353
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $219,883
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $282,706
Median household income: $141,831
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $220,627
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $283,662
Median household income: $143,704
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $223,541
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $287,408
Median household income: $146,158
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $227,358
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $292,316
Median household income: $146,581
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $228,016
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $293,162
Median household income: $157,737
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $245,370
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $315,474
Median household income: $157,891
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $245,609
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $315,782
Median household income: $160,185
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $249,178
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $320,370
Median household income: $191,348
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $297,653
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $382,696
Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates first found the 50 wealthiest cities in the South (AL, AR, DE, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WV) by having a minimum of 20,000 households required and a median household income above $100,000. GOBankingRates then found the upper-middle-class income ranges for every state by first sourcing the median household income in the selected Southern cities from the 2023 American Community Survey as conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. From there, GOBankingRates was able to find the total middle-class income range by following the definition of middle-class income as two-thirds to double the income of an area. From there, GOBankingRates was able to determine each city’s upper-middle-class income range. All data was collected and is up to date as of Feb. 19, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Minimum Salary Needed To Be Upper Middle Class in the South’s Wealthiest Cities
