If You Think 2 Incomes Makes You Middle Class in Texas, Think Again
I don't know the official stats so I'm just going to make a somewhat educated guess that about 75 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. If that stat is true, that's pretty sad. That doesn't live up to the phrase of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" that is prominent in our Declaration of Independence. Is it greed? Is it corporations that value investors over employees? Is it an inept government? Whatever the reason, a majority of Americans struggle financially. That's just proven by this latest study that shows what it would take to be "middle class" in Texas.
General Statistics
This study comes from smartasset.com which took in a variety of factors to calculate a low and high end salary to be considered middle class in the United States. Some general stats show that northeastern salaries are 20 percent higher than southern states, the middle class in New York City don't make enough to live there and that tech cities like San Francisco and Seattle are the hardest to achieve middle class status.
Numbers in Texas
In Texas, the numbers are different all across the state as far as what constitutes middle class. Plano, Texas has the highest median household income in the state at $95,002. You would need to have a minimum household income of $63,651 to be considered middle class in Plano. Statistics were given for 12 other Texas cities with the minimum household income needed to be considered middle class. You can see those below:
Minimum Household Income for Middle Class Status in Texas Cities
- Austin - $53,293
- Irving - $47,128
- Fort Worth - $45,717
- Garland - $41,277
- Arlington - $40,126
- Corpus Christi - $40,074
- Dallas - $38,857
- Houston - $37,184
- San Antonio - $36,798
- Lubbock - $36,680
- Laredo - $35,133
- El Paso - $34,331
East Texas Statistics
No statistics could be found for cities in East Texas like Tyler, Longview or Jacksonville but if I had to guess, looking at the numbers above, I would think a minimum household income of about $33,000 would be a good guess. Even if you could consider yourself middle class in East Texas, its still a struggle financially. Paying rent or a mortgage, two car payments, taking care of two kids (on average), groceries, medicine, utility bills, yeah, its rough staying ahead.
Six Figures in California
But hey, it could be worse. Fremont, California came it at number one on this list with a minimum household income of $104,499 to be considered middle class. There is a reason that small group of elites is called the One-Percenters.
We'll Just Keep Plugging Away
I guess we all just need to hope for that elusive lottery jackpot win so we don't have to worry about any of that anymore. But then, that comes with it's own headache as well. We'll just keep plugging away in hopes that our money slowly builds to truly relax at some point.