You need to make this much to be 'middle class' in Arizona
PHOENIX - What does it take to be considered "middle class" in Arizona? Depends on where you live, of course.
In Phoenix, for example, you'll obviously need to make much more than you would in Cleveland, Ohio. By comparison for those two cities alone, incomes ranging from $23,827 to $71,124 in Cleveland are equal to $45,851 to $136,870 in Phoenix.
Researchers at consumer finance site SmartAsset analyzed the high and low-end of middle-class salaries in 100 large cities and every state using 2021 U.S. Census Bureau data, adopting what the Pew Research Center defines as "middle class" (Americans whose income ranges from two-thirds to two times the median household income.)
Leading the way in Arizona is Gilbert, where the median household income is $104,802, and a middle-class income ranges from $70,217 to $209,604.
Next is Scottsdale, where the median household income is $99,097, and the middle-class income ranges from $66,395 to $198,194.
After Scottsdale is Chandler, where the median household income is $94,613, and the middle-class income ranges from $63,391 to $189,226.
This is how much money you need to make to live comfortably in the Phoenix area
The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area ranked 14th on a list of the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the United States for the cost of living comfortably.
Glendale ranks 57th among large cities for middle-class income, with a range from $42,150 to $125,820. The median income is $62,910.
Tucson ranks 89th, with a middle-class income range from $33,705 to $100,612. The median income is $50,306.
Nationwide, a national salary range for a three-person household was around $52,000 to $156,000. Mississippi has the lowest middle-class salary threshold, $32,640, followed by West Virginia ($34,336 and Louisiana ($34,898).
The nation’s median household income was $70,784 in 2021, according to census data.
To see the full study, tap or click here.