Not too hot, not too cold, but juuuuuuust right. 😅 That’s the way we like to think about the middle class. However, when it comes to living in that sweet spot, all states are *not* created equal. 🏘️
Turns out some places are more middle-class friendly than others, especially when it comes to how far you can stretch that paycheck. 💸
How does Pennsylvania measure up? A new report revealed the deets and we’ve got them right here. 👇
Here’s Five Fast Facts on PA’s cities and the middle class:
- 💵 Meet Me In the Middle - First things first: what’s considered “middle class” today in America? On a national level, a family of four needs to have a household income of at least $59,828 a year.
- 🏭 Livin’ Here in Allentown - A recent USA Today report analyzed 349 of the largest cities in the country to determine which are best for middle-class families, including top locations in PA. Researchers found that Allentown was number 10 on the list of least affordable cities for the middle-class.
- 😎 Cheesesteak and Chill - Philadelphia, the Keystone State’s biggest city, came in at just about average. The report found that an average of $60,240 a year for a four-person household is considered middle class in Philly. The average income in the city is $60,302, just a little bit above that.
- ⛓️ It’s the Pitts - Heading out to the Western part of the state, Pittsburgh’s average incomes are a bit higher. The Steel city has a median household income of $66,219. That’s over $10,000 more than what the report determined it takes to be middle class there.
- 🌵 Desert Trails? - To get the most bang for their buck, middle-class families should look for cities with low minimum necessary income levels, but high median incomes. Most of these gems are located in the South, Midwest, and Southwest (not PA…womp womp). Yuma, AZ has a middle-class income range of $51,500 to $154,500. The median household income there is roughly $62,000. That means families are living comfy cozy in the middle-class range.
🔥Bottom line: Fun fact: the nation’s median household income increased by 4% between 2022 and 2023. That’s the first significant increase since 2019. We know it’s not easy to just pick up and move somewhere more affordable. But you know what you can do? Host a holiday dinner without breaking the bank! Check out our guide here.
Are you a middle-class family living in PA?
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