One half, 49.98%, of all income in the US was earned by households with an income over $100,000, the top twenty percent. Over one quarter, 28.5%, of all income was earned by the top 8%, those households earning more than $150,000 a year. The top 3.65%, with incomes over $200,000, earned 17.5%.
A $200,000 household income is more than most people earn across the U.S. In fact, just 12% of U.S. households earn $200,000 or more annually, according to Census Bureau data.
In 2020, according to Pew Research Center analysis, the median for upper income households was around $220,000 and the median for middle income households was slightly above $90,000.
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.
If you had an income of $200,000, that would put you in the top 12% of household incomes or the top 5% of individual incomes in 2022. Though I prefer household income over individual income, no matter how you cut it, $200k a year puts you on the higher end of the income spectrum.
$2.6 million
That lofty sum represents the net worth of the median American family in the upper 10% of income, a range that most of us would deem wealthy.
Middle class: Those in the 40th to 60th percentile of household income, ranging from $55,001 to $89,744. Upper middle class: Households in the 60th to 80th percentile, with incomes between $89,745 and $149,131. Upper class: The top 20% of earners, with household incomes of $149,132 or more.
Many have graduate degrees with educational attainment serving as the main distinguishing feature of this class. Household incomes commonly exceed $100,000, with some smaller one-income earners household having incomes in the high 5-figure range. "The upper middle class has grown...and its composition has changed.
If you're earning $200,000 per year, you've reached elite status in this country. That's nearly triple the median income of American workers, which per the latest U.S. Census data is $70,784. But what does that level of income really mean for your home buying power?
They are rich. Only 5.7% of Americans make more than 200k a year. 5.7% is nowhere near the middle.
In 2022, about 14.88 million households in the United States had an income of 200,000 U.S. dollars or more a year.
$250,000 is pretty good, YOU'RE NOT Millionaire rich but your upper middle class. And if you're single and no kids making that, that's pretty generous because you've got plenty of disposable income and low overhead. Generally it's a couple husband / wife setup that each make $120,000 that add up to $240k to $250k.
In the U.S., for example, the median household income stands at around $75,000, according to the Census Bureau. Households greatly surpassing this amount, typically around $250,000 or more, are often considered upper class.
But generally, doctors are what you'd consider upper middle class.
Upper middle class might mean earning 15-50% above the median with a comfortable financial cushion, while the upper class generally refers to the top 1-3% earners with substantial wealth and investment-derived income,” said Jeff Rose, CFP and founder of GoodFinancialCents.com.
Earning $150,000 puts you well above the average salary in the U.S — over double the median income, in fact, according to Census data. With this salary, you can likely afford a bigger home than most, and likely in a more desirable location.
The top 10% of household incomes starts at $191,406, the top 5% at $290,406, and the top 1% at $867,436. Those are the nationwide numbers, but they also vary considerably if you account for other factors, such as age or location. Income is a key part of personal finance, but it's not all that matters.
“In order to be considered "well off" how much money does one need to make a week in America on average?” The median household income in America is about $60,000/yr. If we take “well off” to mean “above average”, then the 75% percentile of the income distribution is about $110,000/yr. But this varies a lot by location.
At its most basic, net worth is everything you own minus everything you owe. To calculate your net worth, tally the value of all or your assets, including bank accounts, investments, and perhaps the value of your home or vacation home.
Among the 47 million households headed by someone age 60 or older, 7% had household investable assets of at least $2 million, Drinkwater said. Only 6% of the 89 million households in the U.S. headed by someone 40 to 85 years old has that amount, Drinkwater said.