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The Minimum Salary Needed To Be Upper Middle Class in the South’s Wealthiest Cities

March 02, 2025 — 03:03 pm EST

Written by Nicole Spector for GOBankingRates->

Once you’ve made it to the rungs of the middle class, you may have your sights set on graduating to the upper middle class. This is a fairly elite group — only 14% of the U.S. population identify as “upper middle class,” according to a 2022 Gallup survey.

Find Out: How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper Middle Class in Every State

Explore More: 5 Subtly Genius Moves All Wealthy People Make With Their Money

If becoming upper middle class is a nonnegotiable goal, you may have better odds of reaching it in the South, a region that is home to more “affordable” states than any other. Still, you can find some incredibly upscale areas in the South. How much do you need to make annually to be considered upper middle class in these places?

In a new study, GOBankingRates found the 50 wealthiest cities in the South and then determined the upper-middle-class income ranges for each.

50. Gaithersburg, Maryland

Median household income: $107,496
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $167,217
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $214,992

Check Out: What Salary Single People Need To Live Comfortably in 100 Major US Cities

49. Hoover, Alabama

Median household income: $107,822
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $167,724
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $215,644

48. Bentonville, Arkansas

Median household income: $108,465
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $168,724
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $216,930

47. Plano, Texas

Median household income: $108,649
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $169,011
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $217,298

46. Jupiter, Florida

Median household income: $109,109
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $169,726
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $218,218

45. Dunwoody, Georgia

Median household income: $109,116
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $169,737
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $218,232

44. Wellington, Florida

Median household income: $110,294
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $171,569
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $220,588

43. Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Median household income: $110,563
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $171,988
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $221,126

42. Grapevine, Texas

Median household income: $111,438
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $173,349
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $222,876

41. Germantown, Maryland

Median household income: $112,149
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $174,455
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $224,298

40. Pearland, Texas

Median household income: $112,470
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $174,954
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $224,940

39. Pflugerville, Texas

Median household income: $112,656
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $175,244
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $225,312

38. Dale City, Virginia

Median household income: $113,245
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $176,160
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $226,490

37. Rowlett, Texas

Median household income: $113,600
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $176,712
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $227,200

36. Alexandria, Virginia

Median household income: $113,638
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $176,771
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $227,276

35. Atascocita, Texas

Median household income: $114,443
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $178,023
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $228,886

34. Franklin, Tennessee

Median household income: $115,000
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $178,890
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $230,000

33. Waldorf, Maryland

Median household income: $115,453
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $179,595
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $230,906

32. Mansfield, Texas

Median household income: $116,590
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $181,363
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $233,180

31. Brookhaven, Georgia

Median household income: $117,448
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $182,698
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $234,896

30. League City, Texas

Median household income: $119,870
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $186,465
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $239,740

29. Huntersville, North Carolina

Median household income: $119,951
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $186,591
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $239,902

28. McKinney, Texas

Median household income: $120,273
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $187,092
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $240,546

27. Bel Air South, Maryland

Median household income: $120,721
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $187,789
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $241,442

26. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Median household income: $121,364
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $188,789
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $242,728

25. Rockville, Maryland

Median household income: $122,384
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $190,376
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $244,768

24. Horizon West, Florida

Median household income: $123,586
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $192,246
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $247,172

23. Cedar Park, Texas

Median household income: $123,972
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $192,846
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $247,944

22. Roswell, Georgia

Median household income: $124,422
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $193,546
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $248,844

21. North Bethesda, Maryland

Median household income: $128,970
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $200,621
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $257,940

20. Allen, Texas

Median household income: $129,130
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $200,870
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $258,260

19. Columbia, Maryland

Median household income: $129,173
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $200,937
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $258,346

18. Cary, North Carolina

Median household income: $129,399
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $201,288
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $258,798

17. Severn, Maryland

Median household income: $130,627
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $203,199
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $261,254

16. Madison, Alabama

Median household income: $131,436
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $204,457
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $262,872

15. Sugar Land, Texas

Median household income: $137,511
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $213,907
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $275,022

14. Apex, North Carolina

Median household income: $138,442
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $215,355
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $276,884

13. Reston, Virginia

Median household income: $139,515
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $217,024
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $279,030

12. Arlington, Virginia

Median household income: $140,160
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $218,028
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $280,320

11. Leander, Texas

Median household income: $140,180
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $218,059
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $280,360

10. Weston, Florida

Median household income: $140,501
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $218,558
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $281,002

9. The Woodlands, Texas

Median household income: $141,353
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $219,883
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $282,706

8. Bowie, Maryland

Median household income: $141,831
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $220,627
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $283,662

7. Centreville, Virginia

Median household income: $143,704
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $223,541
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $287,408

6. Frisco, Texas

Median household income: $146,158
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $227,358
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $292,316

5. Alpharetta, Georgia

Median household income: $146,581
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $228,016
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $293,162

4. Flower Mound, Texas

Median household income: $157,737
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $245,370
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $315,474

3. Ellicott City, Maryland

Median household income: $157,891
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $245,609
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $315,782

2. Johns Creek, Georgia

Median household income: $160,185
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $249,178
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $320,370

1. Bethesda, Maryland

Median household income: $191,348
Lowest end of upper-middle-class income: $297,653
Highest end of upper-middle-class income: $382,696

Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates first found the 50 wealthiest cities in the South (AL, AR, DE, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WV) by having a minimum of 20,000 households required and a median household income above $100,000. GOBankingRates then found the upper-middle-class income ranges for every state by first sourcing the median household income in the selected Southern cities from the 2023 American Community Survey as conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. From there, GOBankingRates was able to find the total middle-class income range by following the definition of middle-class income as two-thirds to double the income of an area. From there, GOBankingRates was able to determine each city’s upper-middle-class income range. All data was collected and is up to date as of Feb. 19, 2025.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Minimum Salary Needed To Be Upper Middle Class in the South’s Wealthiest Cities

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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