What qualifies as middle class in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin?

With recent high inflation rates and prices seeming to climb in all areas of life, many Wisconsinites may feel like they’ll never catch up.

The state has experienced skyrocketing home prices, and many residents worry about affording groceries. Here in Milwaukee, rents continue to rise at one of the highest rates in the country.

Data also shows that the American middle class is shrinking. Despite household incomes rising considerably since 1970, adults living in middleclass households fell from 61% in 1971 to 50% in 2021, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data.

So, what does it take to be middle class in Wisconsin?

To be considered middle class in Wisconsin, you’d need a household income between $47,326 and $141,992, according to a recent analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the personal finance site Smart Asset. The state’s median household income is $70,996.

For reference, Pew Research defines a middle-class income as two-thirds to double the median income in an area. Nationwide, in a large U.S. city, a middle-class income averages between $52,000 and $155,000, Smart Asset found.

The necessary income to reach middle-class status in Milwaukee is not quite as much as Wisconsin’s average. Milwaukee’s middle class makes between $32,843 and $98,540. The city’s median household income is $49,270.

Milwaukee’s low middle-class income range when compared to the state and nation reflects the city’s high poverty rate. According to the U.S. Census, 23.9% of Milwaukeeans live in poverty compared to 10.7% of people in the U.S.

A January report from WalletHub found that Wisconsin has the thirdlargest racial wealth gap in the country in 2024, behind Washington D.C. and

To be considered middle class in Wisconsin, you’d need a household income between $47,326 and $141,992, according to a recent analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the personal finance site Smart Asset.

North Dakota.

When it comes to household income, white Wisconsinites earn about 50% more than their Black neighbors, the report found. Additionally, Black residents are around 244% more likely to be in poverty than whites.

Nationally, the report found that white Americans have a median household wealth of $187,300, compared to $14,100 for Black households and $31,700 for Hispanic households. Factors driving the racial wealth gap include unequal access to higher education and employment for minorities, as well as residential segregation, WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann wrote.

Here are the top three cities in the nation with the highest threshold for middle-class status, according to Smart Asset:

1. Sunnyvale, Calif.: $113,176 to

$339,562

2. Fremont, Calif.: $108,213 to

$324,672

3. San Mateo, Calif.: $106,173 to

$318,550

In the Midwest, the top cities are ninth-place Naperville, Ill. ($93,878 to $281,662), and 15th-place Carmel, Ind. ($86,879 to $260,664).

And these are the top three states:

1. New Jersey: $64,224 to $192,692

2. Maryland: $63,321 to $189,982

3. Massachusetts: $62,986 to $188,976