Upper middle class professions typically include highly educated, salaried, white-collar, and autonomous roles, often requiring postgraduate degrees and commanding household incomes exceeding $ 100 , 000 $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 . Common examples include physicians, lawyers, engineers, university professors, pharmacists, senior managers, architects, and specialized consultants, frequently comprising the top 15-20% of earners.
Typical professions for this class include psychologists, professors, accountants, architects, urban planners, engineers, economists, pharmacists, executive assistants, physicians, optometrists, dentists, and lawyers.
The upper-middle class is generally defined by household incomes from roughly $117,000 to $250,000+, often characterized by highly educated professionals (doctors, lawyers, engineers) with secure, self-directed jobs, access to quality healthcare, and comfortable lifestyles, though exact income thresholds vary significantly by location due to cost of living.
Sociologists William Thompson and Joseph Hickey estimate an income range of roughly $35,000 to $75,000 for the lower middle class and $100,000 or more for the upper middle class.
Making $200,000 counts as middle class in these cities. SmartAsset determined the middle class income range for various U.S. cities and all 50 states. San Jose and Irvine are among the cities in California with a higher middle class income range.
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.
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Key Signs You're in the Upper-Middle Class
Professions for this class may include but are not limited to: physicians, lawyers, senior military officers, psychologists, certified public accountants, pharmacists, optometrists, financial planners, dentists, engineers, scientists, professors, architects, urban planners, civil service executives, civilian ...
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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.
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Over half of Americans making six figures are still living paycheck to paycheck, too. Even with that $100,000 salary, tons of people don't have enough left over to save. So, one unexpected expense or job loss means major financial stress, even for folks earning decent money.
A $100k salary for a family of four is considered middle-class but its adequacy depends heavily on location, with high-cost areas like California or New York making it tight, requiring sacrifices, while lower-cost states might allow for comfort and even savings. While it covers basic needs and some extras in many places, it's often not enough for true financial security or a lavish lifestyle, especially with rising costs for housing, childcare, and healthcare.
A good monthly income in California is $5,002, based on what the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Californians pay for their cost of living.