This is how much money you have to earn in KY to be in the middle class, analysis shows
If you call the Bluegrass State home, you need to earn a salary of about $40,000, at a minimum, to be considered part of the middle class.
That’s the top-line takeaway for Kentuckians from a recent report by the personal finance website GoBankingRates, which looked at Census Bureau data on median household income for all 50 states.
For the purposes of its analysis, GoBankingRates defines a “middle class” income bracket as “an annual household income that was two-thirds to double the national median income.”
The report concludes that, in Kentucky and as of 2022, residents needed to make at least $40,122 and up to $120,366 to qualify as “middle class”.
In 2012, the range was $28,407 to $85,220, marking a significant 41.24% increase over the course of a decade, per the report.
How does Kentucky compare to the rest of the country?
The bar to joining the American middle class is higher in just about every state than it was a decade ago. Compared to the rest of the country, Kentucky falls roughly in the middle of the pack, according to GoBankingRates’ analysis.
No state saw a more dramatic change than Oregon, where the income needed to be middle class has increased by more than 53% between 2021 and 2022, according to the report. In the Beaver State, as of 2022, residents needed to make between $51,088 to $153,264 to be considered middle class. Compare that to $33,357 to $100,072 in 2012.
The definition of middle class in Alaska changed the least between 2012 and 2022 — rising just 23.53%.
Out of all 50 states, Mississippi had the lowest barrier to enter the middle class. As of 2022, a $35,323 salary is considered enough to be middle class in the state.
Maryland, on the other hand, had the highest household income needed to be middle class, at least a salary of $65,641 as of 2022.
Top 10 states with the largest increases
The following states saw the largest swings in what it means to earn a middle class income:
Oregon
2022 middle-class income range: $51,088 to $153,264
Middle class income range in 2012: $33,357 to $100,072
10-year change in middle-class income: 53.15%
Washington
2022 middle-class income range: $60,217 to $180,650
2012 middle-class income range: $39,583 to $118,748
10-year change in middle-class income: 52.13%
Colorado
2022 middle-class income range: $58,399 to $175,196
2012 middle-class income range: $38,829 to $116,488
10-year change in middle-class income: 50.40%
California
2022 middle-class income range: $61,270 to $183,810
2012 middle-class income range: $40,933 to $122,800
10-year change in middle-class income: 49.68%
Idaho
2022 middle-class income range: $46,809 to $140,428
2012 middle-class income range: $31,343 to $94,030
10-year change in middle-class income: 49.34%
Utah
2022 middle-class income range: $57,889 to $173,666
2012 middle-class income range: $38,776 to $116,328
10-year change in middle-class income: 49.29%
Montana
2022 middle-class income range: $44,227 to $132,682
2012 middle-class income range: $30,304 to $90,912
10-year change in middle-class income: 45.95%
Tennessee
2022 middle-class income range: $42,690 to $128,070
2012 middle-class income range: $29,427 to $88,280
10-year change in middle-class income: 45.07%
Rhode Island
2022 middle-class income range: $54,247 to $162,740
2012 middle-class income range: $37,401 to $112,204
10-year change in middle-class income: 45.04%
Massachusetts
2022 middle-class income range: $64,337 to $193,010
2012 middle-class income range: $44,439 to $133,316
10-year change in middle-class income: 44.78%
- Do you have a question about Kentucky for our Service Journalism team? Send us an email at ask@herald-leader.com or fill out our Know Your Kentucky form.