Think You’re Middle Class? Here’s How Much Money That Takes In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — About half of Americans are part of the middle class, but what it takes to be considered middle class isn’t the same in Pennsylvania as it is in other places, according to a recent study.

“Middle class” is an inherently nebulous definition. The Pew Research Center defines people in the middle class as those whose incomes are between two-thirds and double the national median household income. Overall, nearly 20 percent of Americans have upper-class incomes, 28 percent have lower-class incomes and the vast majority fall into the middle class.

Because cost of living and average incomes vary so widely from state to state, the income needed to be “middle class” also greatly varies. Using Pew’s definition of the middle class, online banking company GOBanking.com analyzed the most recent American Community Survey data to determine middle-class income for every state in 2025.

In Pennsylvania, where the median household income is $73,170, middle-class incomes range from $48,780 to $146,340. Here's how that compares to surrounding states:

• New Jersey: Median household income is $97,126, with middle-class incomes ranging from $64,750 to $194,252.

• New York: Median household income is $81,386, with middle-class incomes ranging from $54,257 to $162,772.

• Ohio: Median household income is $66,990, with middle-class incomes ranging from $44,660 to $133,980.

• West Virginia: Median household income is $55,217, with middle-class incomes ranging from $36,811 to $110,434.

The Pew Research Center’s middle-class income calculator shows differences by metro area and by race or ethnicity, age, gender and marital status.

According to Pew, about half of U.S. adults (52 percent) lived in middle-income households in 2022, according to the most recent government data available. Roughly three-in-ten (28 percent) were in lower-income households and 19 percent were in upper-income households.

In the Philadelphia metro area, 23.5 percent of adults are in lower income households, 51.7 are in the middle-class and 24.8 percent were in upper-income households. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in Philadelphia is $60,698.

In the Pittsburgh metro area, 24.6 percent of adults live in lower-income households, 55.1 percent live in middle-class ones and 20.3 percent are in the upper-income tier. The median household income in Pittsburgh is $64,137, according to the census bureau.