Households: Modestly Above Average According to one estimate, about 42.8% of U.S. households earned $100,000 or more in 2025. If 42.8% earn $100,000 or more, then a $100,000 household income corresponds roughly to the 57th percentile (i.e., you make more than around 57% of households) under that dataset.
According to the US Census, about 17% of American households make between $100,000 and $149,999, 9.5% of households make between $150,000 and $199,999, and another 14% earn $200,000 or more. But those percentages represent total household incomes where 2 or more people in the home might be working.
Most Americans Earn Far Less Than $100k
According to last year's YouGov data, only 18% of U.S. adults earn more than $100,000 annually. And the biggest earners are mostly men—25%—and those aged 35 to 44—25%. For comparison, just 12% of women make six figures.
That's because households making $100,000 annually are still considered “middle-class” in every U.S. state, according to a recent analysis of 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data.
That monthly payment comes to $36,000 annually. Applying the 28/36 rule, which states that you shouldn't spend more than around a third of your income on housing, multiply $36,000 by three and you get $108,000. So to afford a $500K house you'd have to make at least $108,000 per year.
Here's a wealth class framework described by Bo Hanson, CFA, CFP® that breaks out 5 groups by net worth: the bottom 25%, the lower middle class, upper middle class, upper class, and the wealthiest 10%.
A third of US American families now have an income over $150,000 (adjusted for inflation of course).
What's striking is how many people in the United States earn exceptionally high salaries. While just 0.79 percent of jobs in the country paid more than $500,000 per year, that's well more than 1 million positions.
After re-examining the data, the authors of the collaborative paper concluded that more money is associated with more happiness for most, but not all, people. For 80% of people, happiness continues to rise with income past $75,000.
Despite being in the top 4% of UK earners, only one in 10 people earning £100,000 or more would describe themselves as 'wealthy', while only 1% of the UK population identify as such. High earners also place the threshold for wealth much higher, citing £724,000 as the income it takes to be considered wealthy.
In 26 states, a family of four has to earn at least $100,000 a year to be considered “financially secure,” while in four states, a family of four would need to earn $150,000 to have a living wage: Hawaii ($259K), Massachusetts ($200K), California ($188K), and New York ($155K).
Median Salary for Ages 25-34
For Americans ages 25 to 34, the median salary is $1,150 per week or $59,800 per year. That's a big jump from the median salary for 20- to 24-year-olds. As a general rule, earnings tend to rise in your 20s and 30s as you start to climb the career ladder.
Key Takeaways. Top earners across the United States earn nearly least six figures, with an average income of over $99,971 for those in the top 10% in 2022. Earners in the top 1% need to make $1 million annually in states like California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington.
The six-figure club is larger than you might think. According to 2024 data from YouGov Profiles, nearly 18% of American adults earn more than $100,000 a year. Among those aged 35 to 44, the figure rises to 25% — one in four.
However, only a small minority of people will have that much when they clock out of work. In fact, according to a Congressional Research Service analysis of the 2022 Federal Reserve data, only 4.6% of American households had more than $1 million in their retirement accounts.
To land in the top 2% of U.S. households by net worth, most estimates place the threshold at around $5.5 million. This figure is based on 2022 data from the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, as interpreted and modeled by tools like DQYDJ's Net Worth Percentile Calculator.
Earning a household income of $150,000 might sound like a lot, but in many of the biggest cities in the U.S. it still puts you squarely in the middle class. Middle-class households earn between two-thirds and twice the local median income, according to Pew Research Center's definition.
among the top 2% of Americans in 2025. Top 5% wealth: The next tier, the top 5%, needs a net worth of around $1.17 million. Top 10% wealth: The top 10% of the population is estimated to have a net worth of approximately $970,900.
People making six-figure salaries used to be considered rich—now households earning nearly $200K a year aren't considered upper-class in some states. Emma Burleigh is a reporter at Fortune, covering success, careers, entrepreneurship, and personal finance.
How many Americans have $3,000,000? Around 5.7 million American households have a net worth of $3 million or more - representing about 4% of all households in the US.
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