Is the middle class shrinking? Here’s how much you have to make to be in WA’s middle class

It’s safe to say that most Americans have heard the phrase “the middle class is disappearing” at least once in their lifetime.

As the richest class gets richer, and more households fall below the poverty line, many are noticing a shift.

But how different is the modern day middle class?

Changing middle class analysis

The Pew Research Center says more than 60% of U.S. households were considered middle class in the ‘70s. That fell to 50% in 2021.

In the ‘70s, the median middle class income was about $59,900, by 2020 it rose to $90,100.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, GOBankingRates analyzed the income boundaries for the middle class in each state, based on data for 2022 — the most recently available complete data.

Nationally, the middle class in 2022 included households with incomes between $50,100 and $150,300.

A decade earlier, the middle class included household incomes between about $35,400 and $106,100.

What about Washington state? How has the middle class changed here?

Middle class decreases in Washington

When comparing each state, Washington had the second greatest change in middle class income between 2012 and 2022, according to GOBankingRates.

In 2012, the middle class income range in Washington was about $39,600 to nearly $118,800.

In 2022, it was $60,200 to almost $180,700. That’s a 52% change.

The only state with a greater change was our immediate neighbor, Oregon, where it grew just over 53%.

In 2012, the middle class income range in Oregon was nearly $33,400 to about $100,100. By 2022, it rose to a range of $51,100 to about $153,300.

The rest of the 10 states with the greatest change were:

• Colorado — 50%
• California — 49.7%
• Idaho — 49%
• Utah — 49%
• Montana — 46%
• Tennessee — 45%
• Rhode Island — 45%
• Massachusetts — 45%