What is a middle-class income in California? Using the Pew Research definition of middle class, GOBankingRates calculated that households must earn between $61,269 and $183,810 to be considered middle class in California.
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.
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.
The answer is yes. There's a city in every state where that much money allows for comfortable living. GOBankingRates analyzed data from several sources, including AreaVibes, Sperling's Best Places and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to compile the best places to live on a $100,000 salary in each state.
In five California cities, a $100,000 median household income is considered lower-middle class, according to a Feb. 13 analysis from GoBankingRates.
As of Jan 5, 2025, the average annual pay for the Upper Class jobs category in California is $58,459 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $28.11 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,124/week or $4,871/month.
This means that if you make $100,000 a year, you should be able to afford $2,500 per month in rent. Another rule of thumb is the 30% rule. If you take 30% of $100,000, you will get $30,000. Divide that figure by 12 (the number of months in a year) and the answer is also $2,500 per month.
For a single individual, $100,000 would actually put you in the upper-income level in most places. For household sizes between two and four, $100,000 a year would put you squarely in the middle class.
How rich is rich in California? As of 2022, the top 5% of earners in the state made $613,602 a year on average, according to a recent analysis from personal finance site GoBankingRates. That's roughly a 37% increase from 2017, when top earners raked in an average annual income of $447,207.
If you make $100,000 a year living in the region of California, USA, you will be taxed $29,959. That means that your net pay will be $70,041 per year, or $5,837 per month. Your average tax rate is 30.0% and your marginal tax rate is 42.6%.
A living wage for a single person in California with no children is $27.32 per hour or $56,825 per year, assuming a 40-hour workweek. Whether that salary is livable for someone can depend on where they live in California and how they typically spend their money.
To further illustrate this point, the Pew Research's income calculator states that a $150K salary puts you in the “upper income” tier even in high-cost areas like California, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.
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. Among married-couple family households, more than a fifth (20.8%) report household incomes of $100,000 to $149,999, with another fifth (20.1%) earning $200,000 or more.
In San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Oakland, all in California, a $100,000 salary is effectively halved, in terms of what it can afford. Here are the top 10 cities where $100,000 goes the furthest, and where a six-figure salary is worth the least.
The study found that in San Francisco, a $100,000 salary equates to $36,445 after federal, state and local taxes are applied, combined with the city's cost of living, including housing costs, utilities, groceries, transportation and other goods and services.
Is Earning $100,000 Considered Rich? Earning $100,000 is not considered rich either. You are considered middle class to lower middle class in expensive coastal cities. $100,000 is considered upper middle class in lower cost areas of the country.
Making $100,000 now is the equivalent of making $30,000 back then: middle class and not particularly comfortable. But this didn't happen overnight in 2021 or 2007.