Wisconsin Households Must Make At Least $26,319 To Reach Middle Class, Study Finds

In Wisconsin, households must earn a minimum of $26,319 per year to be considered middle class, with the upper earnings boundary set at $108,377, according to a new 24/7 Wall St. analysis.

The total share of household income in Wisconsin controlled by middle-class earners is 48.4%, 24/7 Wall St. reports. In comparison, the share of income in the state controlled by the top 5% of earners was 20.8%.

To determine the income requirements of the middle class in each state, 24/7 Wall St. examined family income quintiles in the 2018 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The website set the middle-class income range as between the lower limit of the second quintile and the upper limit of the fourth quintile, which covers six out of 10 Americans.

The middle class income range varies greatly by state, depending on the cost of living, the analysis found. In states where the threshold to move into the middle class is low, earnings across the board tend to be low and poverty rates higher, according to 24/7 Wall St. In addition, the distribution of income in such states is weighted toward the wealthy, the website found.

What Households Must Earn to Be in the Middle Class

State	Household Income Range for Middle Class	Median Family Income	Middle Class Share of State’s Income	Richest 5% Share of State’s Income
Alabama	$17,807 – $91,778	$66,171	46.5%	21.8%
Alaska	$35,383 – $151,683	$91,971	48.7%	19.7%
Arizona	$26,486 – $116,748	$74,468	46.8%	21.8%
Arkansas	$17,671 – $83,606	$62,387	45.6%	23.1%
California	$36,996 – $187,706	$91,377	45.0%	23.4%
Colorado	$34,860 – $150,014	$95,164	47.2%	21.8%
Connecticut	$32,486 – $170,888	$101,272	43.8%	25.3%
Delaware	$30,155 – $132,979	$87,148	47.9%	21.0%
Florida	$26,023 – $117,719	$71,348	44.8%	24.1%
Georgia	$23,948 – $114,234	$74,833	45.4%	23.3%
Hawaii	$41,532 – $181,202	$96,462	49.0%	19.9%
Idaho	$25,989 – $103,435	$72,365	48.3%	20.6%
Illinois	$27,109 – $134,640	$87,771	45.7%	23.1%
Indiana	$22,915 – $98,771	$73,876	46.9%	22.3%
Iowa	$24,663 – $101,008	$78,152	48.1%	21.1%
Kansas	$24,741 – $105,573	$79,006	47.5%	21.3%
Kentucky	$18,602 – $90,740	$66,183	46.0%	23.1%
Louisiana	$16,721 – $95,787	$65,105	45.1%	23.2%
Maine	$25,701 – $111,898	$76,316	47.6%	20.9%
Maryland	$39,143 – $177,970	$105,679	47.6%	21.0%
Massachusetts	$32,233 – $188,259	$108,348	46.3%	22.4%
Michigan	$23,816 – $107,001	$75,703	46.5%	22.1%
Minnesota	$32,182 – $134,816	$93,584	48.0%	21.0%
Mississippi	$15,165 – $81,480	$58,503	45.0%	23.4%
Missouri	$21,672 – $99,280	$73,457	46.7%	22.2%
Montana	$22,947 – $101,582	$73,014	46.8%	22.7%
Nebraska	$25,928 – $105,225	$80,062	48.2%	20.8%
Nevada	$26,762 – $116,795	$76,124	46.0%	23.9%
New Hampshire	$36,598 – $154,617	$97,112	48.3%	20.4%
New Jersey	$39,920 – $197,868	$105,705	45.8%	22.6%
New Mexico	$18,986 – $96,249	$61,826	46.1%	22.0%
New York	$30,797 – $176,842	$89,475	43.1%	25.8%
North Carolina	$22,507 – $104,011	$72,049	45.7%	22.9%
North Dakota	$25,187 – $110,509	$87,055	47.4%	21.8%
Ohio	$22,023 – $100,589	$74,911	46.5%	22.3%
Oklahoma	$20,466 – $94,811	$68,358	45.8%	23.3%
Oregon	$29,412 – $130,639	$82,540	47.9%	20.7%
Pennsylvania	$25,757 – $121,862	$81,075	45.8%	23.0%
Rhode Island	$27,551 – $132,489	$89,373	47.3%	22.0%
South Carolina	$21,583 – $102,365	$70,537	46.0%	22.7%
South Dakota	$23,824 – $98,019	$76,826	48.4%	20.4%
Tennessee	$21,573 – $98,679	$69,993	45.5%	23.5%
Texas	$26,114 – $124,754	$76,727	45.7%	22.8%
Utah	$34,588 – $128,053	$86,152	48.7%	20.9%
Vermont	$28,151 – $123,878	$83,458	48.0%	20.7%
Virginia	$32,507 – $156,063	$93,497	46.3%	21.7%
Washington	$37,025 – $163,205	$94,709	46.9%	21.6%
West Virginia	$17,452 – $85,516	$60,920	47.2%	21.3%
Wisconsin	$26,319 – $108,377	$81,829	48.4%	20.8%
Wyoming	$25,760 – $111,422	$79,946	49.1%	20.4%