미국 전역에서 소득 수준은 천차만별이며, 중산층의 기준 또한 지역에 따라 다릅니다.
매사추세츠주는 미국에서 가구 중위 소득이 가장 높은 반면, 미시시피주는 가장 낮습니다.
중산층은 통상 중위 소득의 3분의 2에서 2배 사이의 소득을 올리는 계층으로 간주됩니다.
K자형 경제와 축소되는 중산층에 대한 이야기를 들어보셨을 텐데, 오늘날 미국에서 중산층이라는 것은 실제로 무엇을 의미할까요?
많은 사람들에게 중산층이라는 말은 교외 지역에서 과하지 않은 생활 방식을 의미하지만, 실제로 중산층이 의미하는 소득은 매우 다양합니다.
최근 스마트애셋(SmartAsset)의 연구는 미국 각 주에서 중산층으로 간주되는 데 필요한 소득을 계산했습니다.
이 연구는 미국 50개 주 전체를 대상으로 미 인구조사국(US Census Bureau)의 2024년 '미국 지역사회 조사(American Community Survey)' 1년 추정치인 중위 가구 소득 자료를 활용했습니다. 또한 중산층 소득 범위를 파악하기 위해, 중위 소득의 3분의 2에서 2배 사이의 소득을 올리는 가구를 중산층으로 정의한 퓨 리서치 센터(Pew Research Center)의 기준을 변형하여 적용했습니다.
이어 각 주의 중산층 소득 상한선을 비교하고 해당 소득 수준을 높은 순서대로 나열하여 순위를 산정했습니다.
5개 주에서는 연 소득이 20만 달러가 넘는 가구도 여전히 중산층으로 간주될 수 있는 반면, 7개 주에서는 가구 소득이 4만 5천 달러 미만이어도 중산층 범주에 포함될 수 있습니다.
중산층 기준 소득 상한선이 가장 높은 매사추세츠주에서는 가구 소득이 최대 20만 9,656달러여도 중산층으로 분류되지만, 기준이 가장 낮은 미시시피주에서는 소득이 11만 8,254달러를 넘으면 중산층 범주를 벗어나게 됩니다.
한편, 기준이 두 번째로 낮은 웨스트버지니아주에서는 연 소득 4만 532달러인 가구가 중산층으로 간주될 수 있는 반면, 기준이 두 번째로 높은 뉴저지주에서는 중산층에 속하기 위해 연간 6만 9,529달러의 소득이 필요합니다.
미국 각 주에서 중산층에 속하려면 실제로 얼마를 벌어야 하는지 확인해 보세요.
ALABAMA
Middle-class range: $44,439 to $133,318
Median household income: $66,659
Rank: 44 out of 50
ARIZONA
Middle-class range: $54,324 to $162,972
Median household income: $81,486
Rank: 20
ARKANSAS
Middle-class range: $41,404 to $124,212
Median household income: $62,106
Rank: 47
CALIFORNIA
Middle-class range: $66,766 to $200,298
Median household income: $100,149
Rank: 5
COLORADO
Middle-class range: $64,742 to $194,226
Median household income: $97,113
Rank: 8
CONNECTICUT
Middle-class range: $64,033 to $192,098
Median household income: $96,049
Rank: 10
DELAWARE
Middle-class range: $58,356 to $175,068
Median household income: $87,534
Rank: 13
FLORIDA
Middle-class range: $51,823 to $155,470
Median household income: $77,735
Rank: 26
GEORGIA
Middle-class range: $53,327 to $159,982
Median household income: $79,991
Rank: 23
HAWAII
Middle-class range: $67,163 to $201,490
Median household income: $100,745
Rank: 4
IDAHO
Middle-class range: $54,111 to $162,332
Median household income: $81,166
Rank: 21
ILLINOIS
Middle-class range: $55,474 to $166,422
Median household income: $83,211
Rank: 18
INDIANA
Middle-class range: $47,973 to $143,918
Median household income: $71,959
Rank: 41
IOWA
Middle-class range: $50,334 to $151,002
Median household income: $75,501
Rank: 34
KANSAS
Middle-class range: $50,343 to $151,028
Median household income: $75,514
Rank: 33
KENTUCKY
Middle-class range: $43,017 to $129,052
Median household income: $64,526
Rank: 46
LOUISIANA
Median household income: $60,986
Rank: 48
MAINE
Middle-class range: $50,961 to $152,884
Median household income: $76,442
Rank: 30
MARYLAND
Middle-class range: $68,603 to $205,810
Median household income: $102,905
Rank: 3
MASSACHUSETTS
Middle-class range: $69,885 to $209,656
Median household income: $104,828
Rank: 1 (the highest middle-class ceiling in the US)
MICHIGAN
Middle-class range: $48,259 to $144,778
Median household income: $72,389
Rank: 37
MINNESOTA
Middle-class range: $58,078 to $174,234
Median household income: $87,117
Rank: 14
MISSISSIPPI
Middle-class range: $39,418 to $118,254
Median household income: $59,127
Rank: 50 (the lowest middle-class ceiling in the US)
MISSOURI
Middle-class range: $47,726 to $143,178
Median household income: $71,589
Rank: 42
MONTANA
Middle-class range: $50,227 to $150,680
Median household income: $75,340
Rank: 35
NEBRASKA
Middle-class range: $50,917 to $152,752
Median household income: $76,376
Rank: 31
NEVADA
Middle-class range: $54,089 to $162,268
Median household income: $81,134
Rank: 22
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Middle-class range: $66,521 to $199,564
Median household income: $99,782
Rank: 6
NEW JERSEY
Middle-class range: $69,529 to $208,588
Median household income: $104,294
Rank: 2
NEW MEXICO
Middle-class range: $45,211 to $135,632
Median household income: $67,816
Rank: 43
NEW YORK
Middle-class range: $57,213 to $171,640
Median household income: $85,820
Rank: 15
NORTH CAROLINA
Middle-class range: $49,305 to $147,916
Median household income: $73,958
Rank: 36
NORTH DAKOTA
Middle-class range: $51,914 to $155,742
Median household income: $77,871
Rank: 25
OHIO
Middle-class range: $48,141 to $144,424
Median household income: $72,212
Rank: 39
OKLAHOMA
Middle-class range: $44,099 to $132,296
Median household income: $66,148
Rank: 45
OREGON
Middle-class range: $56,813 to $170,440
Median household income: $85,220
Rank: 16
PENNSYLVANIA
Middle-class range: $51,697 to $155,090
Median household income: $77,545
Rank: 27
RHODE ISLAND
Middle-class range: $55,669 to $167,008
Median household income: $83,504
Rank: 17
SOUTH CAROLINA
Middle-class range: $48,233 to $144,700
Median household income: $72,350
Rank: 38
SOUTH DAKOTA
Middle-class range: $51,254 to $153,762
Median household income: $76,881
Rank: 29
TENNESSEE
Middle-class range: $47,998 to $143,994
Median household income: $71,997
Rank: 40
TEXAS
Middle-class range: $53,147 to $159,442
Median household income: $79,721
Rank: 24
UTAH
Middle-class range: $64,439 to $193,316
Median household income: $96,658
Rank: 9
VERMONT
Middle-class range: $55,153 to $165,460
Median household income: $82,730
Rank: 19
VIRGINIA
Middle-class range: $61,393 to $184,180
Median household income: $92,090
Rank: 12
WASHINGTON
Middle-class range: $66,259 to $198,778
Median household income: $99,389
Rank: 7
WEST VIRGINIA
Middle-class range: $40,532 to $121,596
Median household income: $60,798
Rank: 49
WISCONSIN
Middle-class range: $51,659 to $154,976
Median household income: $77,488
Rank: 28
WYOMING
Middle-class range: $50,355 to $151,064
Median household income: $75,532
Rank: 32
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