North Carolina, South Carolina: This Income Makes You Middle Class

Have you ever wondered if your North Carolina or South Carolina income makes you middle class? Every state has a different cost of living and different middle class salary, of course. So, one study looked at each state to determine the middle class salary range for that given state.

SmartAssett conducted the study. In it, they state, "The middle class has long been considered the backbone of the American economy. But the American middle class is shrinking." They add that, "The percentage of adults living in middle-income households in the United States fell by more than 10 percentage points over the last 50 years." That indicates an "ongoing shrinkage of the middle class."

As for methodology, SmartAsset calculated the bounds on middle class incomes in 100 of the largest U.S. cities. They also looked at all 50 states, according to the study. Some big findings were that Northeastern salaries were about 20% higher than Southern salaries, and that's even after factoring in cost of living differences. They also found that the middle class in NYC aren't making enough income to keep up with the cost of living, which isn't a big surprise, since the cost of living in the Big Apple is massive. They also found that if you make a whopping $300,000 in Fremont, California, you're actually still middle class. That's just how expensive that place is to live.

So, what's the middle class salary range in North and South Carolina? According to the study, the lower limit for middle class in North Carolina is lower limit $41,521, median household income is $61,972 and middle income upper limit is $123,944. For South Carolina the lower limit is $39,743, median household income is $59,318 and middle income upper limit is $118,636. Find the full tally here of what makes a middle class salary in each state.