Six figures can be anywhere between $100,000 – $999,000. Depending on where you live, six figures is considered rich by many people's standards. A top 1% income earner in America makes about $470,000 a year nowadays. Further, it takes at least $3 million to be a real millionaire now thanks to inflation.
Middle-income households – those with an income that is two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income – had incomes ranging from about $56,600 to $169,800 in 2022. Lower-income households had incomes less than $56,600, and upper-income households had incomes greater than $169,800.
What Percent of America Makes Six Figures? When you remove demographics such as infants, students, and stay-at-home spouses and focus only on full-time workers, around 18% of all earners in the US make at least six figures. Conversely, the median American household income in 2023 was approximately $44,225.
Only about 18% of individuals in the US make $100000 or more. So it's really not that common. (36% of households make $100000 or more, but that might include two or more income earners.) It's absolutely possible to live comfortably on less than $100000 a year, but it's also possible to struggle on $99000 a year.
Some workers begin earning six figures in their twenties and thirties. Economists nickname them HENRYs, for “high earners, not rich yet.” But for most people, their “peak earning years” are from age 35 to 54. The majority of people who make six figures will do so in their 30s.
Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.
A $100,000 salary is considered good in most parts of the country, and can cover typical expenses, pay down debt, build savings, and allow for entertainment and hobbies. According to the U.S. Census, only 15.3% of American households make more than $100,000 annually.
For 25-year-olds, you need to earn at least $150k to be in the top 1%.
How much does a Six Figures make? As of Jan 6, 2025, the average annual pay for a Six Figures in the United States is $98,086 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $47.16 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,886/week or $8,173/month.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in 2022 was $74,580. To reach the upper class in 2024, you'd typically need an income exceeding $153,000 – more than double the national median. Don't Miss: Are you rich?
Middle class is defined as income that is two-thirds to double the national median income, or $47,189 and $141,568. By that definition, $100,000 is considered middle class. Keep in mind that those figures are for the nation. Each state has a different range of numbers to be considered middle class.
Key takeaways. A 6-figure income is any salary with 6 numbers, so the minimum is $100,000 and the maximum is $999,999. A $100,000 salary is above the US median income of $60,070 for a full-time, year-round worker, according to the US Census.
In 2023, around 5.4 million people between 25 and 34 years old whose annual income was 100,000 U.S. dollars or more obtained that income through wages and salary.
Introduction to seven figures
Such income levels are rare, with only about 0.3% of Americans earning a million dollars or more per year.
In California, 17.1% of households earn incomes of $100,000 to $149,999, with 15.3% earning $50,000 to $74,999 and 13.3% earning $200,000 or more.
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The old benchmark $100,000 salary that once placed Americans into the category of “rich” is coming up short, according to a new report by PYMNTS and LendingClub. As of November, 62% of all U.S. consumers were living paycheck to paycheck, with 20% struggling to pay their bills every month, the report says.
Meet the HENRYs: The Six-Figure Earners Who Don't Feel Rich
More is what the people you work for want you to want--it creates more production, more time in the office, and more efficiencies, but pausing to figure out if you need more leads to what you really want: freedom.
The Minimum Salary To Be Upper-Middle Class
To be part of the top 20% of the middle class, you need to earn $106,092 and $149,160, — depending on your geographic location — according to a recent study by GOBankingRates.
$520,000. That's how much income Americans think they would need, on average, to feel rich, according to Bankrate's Financial Freedom Survey published in July. That salary would put you comfortably among the top 2% of American earners, according to Census data.