$140 K equals middle class?

[NY'er lost in MA]

it all depends on debt/income ratio, but $140K is well above the average- even for MA.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by intelgal

I just feel like $140 might go very far in Florida and not so much in Boston, MA. So each state might have different income range of what's middle class and what's not.

For $140K, it still goes fairly far in Boston and probably further in many parts of FL.

Income is relative. When the median income is higher in a state, it usually means higher cost of living also. To be able to live comfortably, you will have to make more than the median. Of course, supply/demand theory comes into play to determine the salary. Every year, Harvard has ~1600 earning a bachelor degree. Another 10K people in their graduate program. With so many PHds and Masters, there is no lack of supply. You better have some skills to show you are better than median.

A job paying $75K in MA will most likely be paid less in FL. If you can get the company to pay $75K in FL, you probably will be better off there. To make the same point. A job in MA that pays $75K will most like be paid only $10-15K in China since the cost of living is much lower. If you can move to China get paid $75K, you have a in demand skill or a lucky person.

According to the census,
Median family income for Florida is estimated to be $54.5K
Median family income for Massachusetts is estimated to be $74.5K
Median family income for California is estimated to be $64.5K
Median family income for New Jersey is estimated to be $77.9K
Median family income for Ohio is estimated to be $56.1K
Median family income for Oregon is estimated to be $55.9K

Income - State Median Income