A study from financial information company SmartAsset has defined what it takes to be “middle class” in all 50 states using 2024 one-year American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
There are several definitions of the term “middle class,” as explained by SmartAsset. Some expectations associated with the term include bringing home enough income to afford home ownership, childrearing, occasional vacations or other splurges and the “comfort of modest emergency funds and retirement savings.” In the recent study, however, SmartAsset used Pew Research Center’s definition of middle-class households: a range of two-thirds to twice the median household income.
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States with the highest incomes needed by households to maintain a middle-class standing included Massachusetts at No. 1 followed by New Jersey and Maryland, while those with the lowest needed incomes included Mississippi at No. 50 followed by West Virginia and Louisiana.
Here’s what the study found on North Carolina and more.
What is the median income in North Carolina?
SmartAsset found that the median income in North Carolina was $73,958.
What is considered middle class in North Carolina?
According to SmartAsset’s data, the Tar Heel State ranked No. 36 out of the 50 states for the highest amount of income needed to be considered middle class.
Using Pew Research’s definition of the bounds of the middle class as “two-thirds to two-times the median income,” SmartAsset found that in North Carolina, an “upper bound for middle class income” was $147,916 and a “lower bound for middle class income” was $49,305.
What is the cost of living in North Carolina?
Financial independence site SoFi.com found that the average yearly cost of living throughout N.C. is roughly $53,334. This included $9,620 for housing and utilities, $8,744 for healthcare, $4,274 for food and beverages, excluding restaurants, $1,322 for gasoline and energy goods, and $29,374 for all other personal expenses.
How much does it cost to buy a house in North Carolina? To rent?
A report from the housing website Zillow.com found that the typical home value for North Carolina in 2026 was $338,359. Most recent reports from Zillow found that the average cost to rent a home across all available N.C. properties was $1,800.
Reporting by Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times / Asheville Citizen Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
