The City With the Poorest Middle Class in Every State

"With wealth increasingly concentrated among the highest earners and a steep reduction of well-paying jobs that do not require a degree, the ranks of the American middle class have been eroding for decades. Though the consumer price index has cooled recently, two years of relentless inflation has further squeezed the middle class.

The real median household income in the U.S. — which accounts for the cost of living — fell by 5% between 2019 and 2022, from $78,250 to $74,580. As a result, many middle-class households are struggling to afford basic necessities. According to a recent survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, 72% of households earning between $50,000 and $99,999 a year reported at least some difficulty paying for usual household expenses in the last week, compared to 63% of all U.S. households.

While there is no strict definition, the American middle class is a socioeconomic group that falls between the working class and the upper class. Typically, middle-class households have some disposable income for certain luxuries like vacations and eating at restaurants and are able to put away money for savings and retirement.

In much of the country, however, many households that fall in the middle of the income spectrum may no longer meet some of these established benchmarks of middle-class status. (Here is a look at the poorest city in every state.)

Using area data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey, 24/7 Wall St. identified the city with the poorest middle class in each state. We reviewed the average income among the middle 20% of households by earnings in each of the 384 U.S. metro areas with available data. In each state, the metro area with the lowest average income among the middle quintile of earners ranks as having the poorest middle class.

It is important to note that there is only one metro area in four states — Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. As a result, the city listed for each of these states ranks as having the poorest middle class by default only.

All but four of the 50 metro areas on this list have a poorer middle class than the state as a whole. In most of these cities, the average middle class household earns at least $10,000 less per year than the average for the middle class statewide.

Unlike in decades past, the vast majority of well-paying jobs in the U.S. require a college education. In all but six metro areas on this list with available data, the share of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree is below the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree across the state as a whole."