What is the top 5 household income?
The threshold to be in the top 10% of household incomes in 2023 in the United States was $216,056.
The threshold to be in the top 10% of household incomes in 2023 in the United States was $216,056.
Data | Top third | Top 3% |
---|---|---|
Household income | ||
Lower threshold (annual gross income) | $65,000 | $200,000 |
Exact percentage of households | 34.72% | 2.67% |
Personal income (age 25+) |
Who's in the top 10%? In the UK, the threshold for the top 10% of personal income before tax is £59,200, according to the HMRC's latest statistics. This is over twice the median wage, which is generally under £30,000. But the top 10% incorporates a wide range of incomes.
In contrast, the same figure increases to about $50,000 for median workers and further escalates steeply to about $400,000 for the top 2% earners. The figure below illustrates the average earnings between ages 25 and 55 of individuals in the bottom 2%, median and top 2% of the LE distribution.
The Top 20% Income Earners
The Associated Press, quoting figures released from the recent Census Bureau report, published an article last week revealing what the top-earning 20% of Americans make in income. They found that the top 20% of all Americans earn over $130,000 in income.
But data from the U.S. Census Bureau cites a different number as the average salary: just under $75,000. What does this all mean? By the Census data, it means that if you earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, you are considered middle class.
According to the US Census Bureau, the majority of Americans (54.98%) make $50,000 per year or less, while only 18% of individual Americans make $100,000 per year or more. This means that over 80% of Americans make less than $100,000 per year.
Over one quarter, 28.5%, of all income was earned by the top 8%, those households earning more than $150,000 a year.
Income Bracket* | Percentage of Americans |
---|---|
$75,000-$99,999 | 12.3% |
$100,000-$149,999 | 16.4% |
$150,000-$199,999 | 9.2% |
Over $200,000 | 11.9% |
What is a good household income?
Generally, an income that comfortably covers living expenses, allows for savings, and provides for leisure activities is considered good. In the United States, median household income is around $68,700 according to recent data. However, in cities with higher costs of living, a good salary might be considerably higher.
Middle class: Those in the 40th to 60th percentile of household income, ranging from $55,001 to $89,744. Upper middle class: Households in the 60th to 80th percentile, with incomes between $89,745 and $149,131. Upper class: The top 20% of earners, with household incomes of $149,132 or more.
$66,000 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $80,000 is the 75th percentile.
Wealthy: To be considered well off, a person must be in the 90th percentile, possessing a household net worth of $1.9 million. This level of wealth affords trips, charity donations and college funds for children.
According to Schwab's 2023 Modern Wealth Survey, its seventh annual, Americans said it takes an average net worth of $2.2 million to qualify a person as being wealthy.
Age Range | 75th Percentile Net Worth |
---|---|
Under 35 | $153,000 |
35-44 | $415,000 |
45-54 | $800,000 |
55-64 | $1.122 million |
How much does an Upper Class make? As of Apr 15, 2024, the average annual pay for the Upper Class jobs category in the United States is $59,699 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $28.70 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,148/week or $4,974/month.
Some sources define the upper middle class as anyone making a lot of money but haven't crossed the threshold to become truly wealthy. These individuals often have a net worth of at least $500,000 to $2 million.
Middle-class income currently ranges from a little under $40,000 to a little over $119,000. The definition of middle class extends beyond income to factors like education, location and marital status.
- Lower class: less than or equal to $30,000.
- Lower-middle class: $30,001 – $58,020.
- Middle class: $58,021 – $94,000.
- Upper-middle class: $94,001 – $153,000.
- Upper class: greater than $153,000.
What is considered middle class for a married couple?
In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau said this median household income $70,784. Using these numbers, a middle-class income would be any household that makes approximately $47,190 to $141,568. Put another way, if you're making less than $47,190 in your household, you are probably considered a low-income family.
In 2018, the national middle-income range was about $48,500 to $145,500 annually for a household of three. Lower-income households had incomes less than $48,500 and upper-income households had incomes greater than $145,500 (incomes in 2018 dollars).
According to the U.S. Census, only 15.3% of American households make more than $100,000 annually. A $100,000 salary can yield a monthly income of $8,333.33, a biweekly paycheck of $3,846.15, a weekly income of $1,923.08, and a daily income of $384.62 based on 260 working days per year.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services uses the Census Bureau threshold to determine who is eligible for certain government assistance programs, like SNAP (food stamps). Under their guidelines, a family of four is considered impoverished if they earn $30,000 or less per year.
“With a nest egg of $100,000, that would only cover two years of expenses without considering any additional income sources like Social Security,” Ross explained. “So, while it's not impossible, it would likely require a very frugal lifestyle and additional income streams to be comfortable.”
References
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/retire-2-000-month-frugal-130016009.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_capita_personal_income_in_the_United_States
- https://www.bankrate.com/banking/singles-struggling-to-save-for-emergency-fund/
- https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/money-management/types-of-income/
- https://patch.com/california/across-ca/150k-income-lower-middle-class-these-ca-cities
- https://www.selfstudys.com/sitepdfs/8ttuh58BRvK0A4e0Y4aV
- https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/business/hr-payroll/average-salary-us/
- https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/how-much-house-can-i-afford-90k-salary/
- https://apps.irs.gov/app/IPAR/resources/help/acahhi.html
- https://www.unbiased.com/discover/banking/how-much-income-puts-you-in-the-top-1-5-or-10
- https://www.prb.org/resources/whats-a-household-whats-a-family/
- https://havenlife.com/blog/combining-finances-with-your-partner/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_middle_class_in_the_United_States
- https://www.economy.com/support/blog/buffet.aspx?did=932EBFA8-D905-4945-A5D5-D02D98113FA4
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/what-income-is-considered-poverty-level-in-2024
- https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/family-finance/articles/where-do-i-fall-in-the-american-economic-class-system
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-ways-tell-middle-class-174814986.html
- https://wallethub.com/answers/cc/annual-income-for-a-credit-card-2140676325/
- https://www.quora.com/What-income-is-generally-regarded-as-a-good-salary-in-the-United-States
- https://theconversation.com/wealthy-but-worried-why-the-uks-top-10-are-turning-their-backs-on-the-rest-of-society-213270
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household
- https://livingwage.mit.edu/states/06
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live-1-000-per-month-200011859.html
- https://www.snagajob.com/salary-calculator?pay=30&period=hour
- https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0912/which-income-class-are-you.aspx
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/comfortably-retire-100-000-know-110152178.html
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Upper-Class-Salary
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-calculate-household-income
- https://ofdollarsanddata.com/is-200k-a-year-good/
- https://www.raisin.co.uk/budgeting/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-live-comfortably-uk/
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/30-An-Hour-Salary
- https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/opportunity/affordability/cost-living
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/salary-income-needed-to-live-comfortably-in-us-cities/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/113nixa/is_1000_pounds_per_month_enough/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/02/21/how-do-you-know-if-youre-in-the-american-middle-class/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/27/how-much-money-family-of-4-needs-to-live-comfortably-in-us-cities.html
- https://jwilsonlawoffice.com/calculating-your-gross-monthly-income/
- https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/605075/are-you-rich
- https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/single-this-is-how-much-you-have-to-earn-to-live-comfortably
- https://salesgravy.com/what-the-top-20-really-make-and-how-you-can-get-there/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States
- https://smartasset.com/personal-finance/what-is-middle-class-income-in-the-u-s
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/02/15/middle-class-financial-security/
- https://www.dentaltown.com/blog/post/16871/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-never-work-again
- https://thehill.com/lobbying/4170972-15-an-hour-isnt-enough-u-s-workers-need-to-earn-a-living-wage/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/8-key-signs-ve-made-170047090.html
- https://www.lovetoknow.com/life/relationships/main-differences-between-family-household
- https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/how-average-is-your-net-worth
- https://www.nationwidevisas.com/usa-immigration/average-salary-in-usa/
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/living-alone-bills-netflix-subscription-rent-mortgage/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/income-fall-americas-lower-middle-122100515.html
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/income-per-capita.asp
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/is-100000-a-good-salary/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/income-financially-stable-most-americans-190012008.html
- https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/note/US/INC110222
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/20/salary-single-person-needs-to-live-comfortably-in-major-us-cities.html
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-percentage-of-people-who-make-more-than-100k-per-year-in-the-US-How-many-people-make-over-1M-year-Is-there-a-difference-in-these-numbers-based-on-state-or-city
- https://www.quora.com/Can-multiple-families-live-in-one-house
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dinks.asp
- https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/technical-documentation/subject-definitions.html
- https://edvoy.com/countries/study-in-us/cost-of-living/
- https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/irs-tax-return/taxable-income-vs-nontaxable-income-what-you-should-know/L0h4j5DZQ
- https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/livable-wage-by-state
- https://www.lifelinesupport.org/what-is-a-household/
- https://www.womenslaw.org/laws/il/restraining-orders/orders-protection/basic-info/what-definition-family-or-household-member
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-home-and-household
- https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/investing/are-you-upper-middle-class/
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/07/23/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class/
- https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/jobs/how-much-is-six-figures/
- https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/annual-family-income
- https://company.getinsured.com/household-size-explained/
- https://www.snagajob.com/salary-calculator?pay=100000&period=year
- https://themortgagereports.com/70333/how-much-house-can-i-afford-on-100000-per-year
- https://www.pnc.com/insights/personal-finance/spend/what-is-annual-income.html
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/income-level-considered-rich-140003986.html
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/17/why-so-many-people-making-100000-dollars-a-year-dont-feel-rich.html
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-considered-good-salary-in-Los-Angeles-California-for-family-of-4
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/living-paycheck-to-paycheck-statistics-2024/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/living-wage-family-four-needs-133117329.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affluence_in_the_United_States
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/16/salary-a-single-person-needs-to-live-comfortably-in-every-state.html
- http://tax.vermont.gov/individuals/household-income
- https://smartasset.com/data-studies/salary-needed-live-comfortably-2024
- https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/family-income
- https://apps.irs.gov/app/vita/content/globalmedia/4491_dependency_exemptions.pdf
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-calculate-gross-monthly-income
- https://www.britannica.com/money/types-of-income
- https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2023/oct/top-earners-see-strong-pay-growth-beyond-age-35
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/household_income.asp
- https://www.kff.org/faqs/faqs-health-insurance-marketplace-and-the-aca/my-partner-and-i-live-together-but-are-unmarried-is-our-combined-household-income-what-we-should-report/
- https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/household/
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/average-salary-in-us/
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/median-household-income
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/realincome.asp
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wealthy-net-worth-considered-poor-190014440.html
- https://www.newsnationnow.com/business/your-money/whats-the-living-wage-a-family-of-four-needs-in-every-us-state/
- https://www.marketwatch.com/guides/business/average-salary-by-age/
- https://www.healthcare.gov/income-and-household-information/household-size/
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/80K-A-Year-Salary
- https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/money-management/average-household-income/
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/i-make-36k-a-year-how-much-house-can-i-afford/
- https://typeset.io/questions/what-is-family-income-4gn5zf9vsf
- https://mcdc.missouri.edu/help/measures-of-income/
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Decent-Salary
- https://usafacts.org/data/topics/economy/jobs-and-income/jobs-and-wages/real-median-household-income/
- https://dqydj.com/household-income-percentile-calculator/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/income-considered-middle-class-2024-160007340.html
- https://www.creditkarma.com/income/i/what-is-annual-income
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-weekly-grocery-budget-for-a-single-person-What-kind-of-food-do-they-buy-and-how-often-do-they-eat-out-vs-cook-at-home
- https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/basics/gross-monthly-income/
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/does-your-income-make-you-upper-class-middle-class-or-lower-class/