Been looking at income data across the South and honestly, the gap between what counts as middle class versus upper-middle class is pretty wild depending on where you settle. Like, the threshold for hitting upper-middle class territory averages around $108k across the region, but it swings pretty hard from state to state.

I noticed Louisiana's numbers are interesting - median household income sits at about $60k, so upper class income in Louisiana starts kicking in around $93k. Compare that to somewhere like Maryland where the median is already over $100k and upper-middle class doesn't begin until you're pushing $158k. That's a massive difference for basically the same income bracket label.

Texas and Virginia are on the higher end - you need $118k and $141k respectively to hit upper-middle class status. But if you're in Mississippi or West Virginia, you can get there closer to $85-90k. The research basically shows that middle class spans from about two-thirds to double the median income in each state, which makes sense when you think about cost of living variations.

It's a solid reminder that "middle class" is way more regional than people realize. Your upper class income threshold in one state might barely get you to solidly middle class in another.