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- The size of the American middle class varies from state to state.
- Using data from the US Census Bureau, we found how many households fall between 2/3 and 200% of the median household income in each state.
- Here are the 15 states with the largest share of households falling in that middle-income group.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The number of Americans who have middle-class incomes varies from state to state.
The middle class faces a few major financial challenges compared to their wealthier peers. According to an INSIDER/Morning Consult poll, respondents who described themselves as "middle class" as opposed to "affluent" had higher levels of debt and smaller retirement savings accounts.
We recently took a look at the US states with the smallest middle classes. Here are 15 states where the middle class is quite a bit larger.
In an analysis of class in America, the Pew Research Center classified households as middle-income if they fell between 2/3 and 200% of the national median household income. We used that definition to find how many households in each US state had middle-class incomes.
According to the US Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey, the median household income that year (the most recent for which data is available) was $60,336. Using data from the Minnesota Population Center’s 2017 American Community Survey Integrated Public-Use Microdata Series, we counted up how many households in each state had incomes between 2/3 of that median (or $40,224) and double that median (or $120,672).
Here are the 15 states with the largest share of households falling in that middle-income bracket, along with the share of lower-income households below 2/3 the national median, and the share of upper-income households above 200%:
15. Colorado: 47.7% of households are middle income
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Share of lower-income households: 29.2%
Share of higher-income households: 23.1%
14. Maine: 47.9% of households are middle income
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Share of lower-income households: 37.3%
Share of higher-income households: 14.8%
13. Vermont: 48.1% of households are middle income
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Share of lower-income households: 36.2%
Share of higher-income households: 15.7%
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- The 15 states with the smallest middle class
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- 14 ways to stay healthy if you’re constantly on the road for work
Source: Business Insider – akiersz@businessinsider.com (Andy Kiersz)