Just looked into what actually counts as middle class income across different states and it's wild how much it varies. Like in Massachusetts, if you're making somewhere between $67k and $202k a year, you're technically middle class. But hit $157k and you're already upper-middle class territory even though it doesn't feel that way with cost of living there.

The whole thing is based on PewResearch's definition where middle class is basically two-thirds to double your state's median household income. So a state like Mississippi has a totally different threshold than Massachusetts obviously. Mississippi's median is around $54k, so their middle class range is like $36k-$109k. Meanwhile Massachusetts sits at $101k median, which explains why everything costs so much more up there.

What's interesting is how many people probably don't realize they've crossed into upper-middle class without feeling rich. The data shows this is calculated from actual census data on median household income and population, so it's pretty solid. If you're curious where you actually fall, it's worth checking your state's specific numbers because the gap between middle and upper-middle class income can be anywhere from $90k to $150k+ depending on where you live. Kind of changes how you think about your paycheck.