However, new GOBankingRates research shows that in some major U.S. cities, an annual income of $150,000 is only enough to qualify as “lower middle class.” This is especially pronounced in two Northern California cities and Arlington, Virginia.
Wealth vs. Income: Wealth is different from income. A person earning $150000 may not be considered wealthy if they have significant debts or few assets. Comparison to Averages: In the US, the median household income is around $70000 (as of 2021), so $150000 is above average and can be considered a high income.
With a $150,000 annual salary, you could potentially afford a house priced between $450,000 to $750,000 or even more, depending on your financial situation, credit score, and current market conditions. However, this is a broad range, and your specific circumstances will determine where you fall within it.
Home style and location
“Your $150,000 income can go further in some parts of the country compared to others,” Massieh says. “For example, buying a home in California will probably get you a smaller home than that same $150,000 will get you in North Dakota.”
I wouldn't be surprised if $150k was really tight for a family of 4 in SF proper. Running the calculations, a payroll calculator indicates that $150k/yr turns into $3925 take home every 2 weeks or just over $100k/yr. The housing alone for a three bedroom (assuming everyone shares a room) would run at least $60k/yr.
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 middle class is commonly defined as households earning between two-thirds and double the median income, which is $128,151 in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California metro area, the Census Bureau reports. That means middle class households there earn between $85,434 and $256,302 a year.
For a single person, especially one who's not supporting any dependents, $150,000 is a good annual salary. Consider the average salary in the U.S., which is $65,470, according to May 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). A $150,000 annual salary is about 129% higher than the national average.
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.
How much does a 150K make in California? As of Jan 5, 2025, the average hourly pay for a 150K in California is $15.64 an hour.
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.
By the Census data, it means that if you earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, you are considered middle class.
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.
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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.
What Is Considered a Good Salary? Well, what makes a good salary depends on you, your needs, and your values. But for most folks, a good salary is one you can live on comfortably, meaning your basic needs, like food, utilities, housing, transportation and clothes, are taken care of each month without going into debt.
With a $150,000 salary, you could afford a home priced around $415,000-$430,000, assuming you have $20,000 saved up for a down payment and are carrying some monthly debt already, such as a car payment or student loan. This also assumes an interest rate of 7%.
Those will become part of your budget. The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.
If you're raising a family of four in 2024, you'll need a six-figure income in 26 U.S. states. That's more than half of America where you'll need to earn $100,000 or more annually to budget for and comfortably raise a family.
The Census Bureau put the average American household income at $80,610 from 2023 figures, and to be in the top 20% of income, you'd have to earn almost double the average, bringing in an income of above $130,500 a year.
How much do you need to earn to be in the top 10% income bracket? A 2022 study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that the top 10% of earners nationally received an average income of $167,639 in 2021.
For the purposes of this article, those with an income in the bottom 20 percentile will be identified as lower class, followed by lower-middle class (up to 40th percentile), middle class (up to 60th percentile), upper-middle class (up to 80th percentile) with the remainder considered upper class.