Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Report: Median wages fall short of middle-class living costs in every major U.S. metro
A new report finds the median worker cannot afford a middle-class lifestyle in any of the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas. In San Diego, a single adult would need an estimated $134,089 a year -- nearly $77,000 more than the area's median wage, acco
A new report concludes the median worker cannot afford a middle-class lifestyle in any of the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas, with workers earning an average of $52,221 less than the estimated income needed to cover basic living expenses.
The report, released Tuesday by resume-building service MyPerfectResume, analyzed data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage Calculator, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate the annual gross salary a single adult would need to pay for housing, transportation, food, health care, retirement savings, emergency savings and modest discretionary spending.
Researchers found the average middle-class income threshold across the 50 largest metropolitan areas is $104,681 a year, compared with an average median wage of $52,460 -- a gap of $52,221. None of the metropolitan areas studied had a median wage high enough to meet the estimated threshold.
San Jose, ranked as the nation's most expensive metropolitan area for achieving a middle-class lifestyle. The report estimated a single adult would need to earn $156,908 annually, compared with the area's median wage of $82,430.
Honolulu posted the largest gap between wages and living costs, with an estimated middle-class income threshold of $149,002, or 176.7% higher than the area's median wage of $53,840.
Other metropolitan areas requiring more than $130,000 annually for a middle-class lifestyle included New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
In the San Diego-Carlsbad metropolitan area, the report estimated a single adult would need an annual income of $134,089 to maintain a middle-class lifestyle. The area's median wage is $57,340, creating a gap of $76,749.
Jasmine Escalera, a career expert for MyPerfectResume, said the findings show that wages have not kept pace with rising living costs.
"The struggle to reach the middle class is not limited to expensive coastal cities," Escalera said in a statement. "Even in more affordable metros, median wages are not keeping pace with the cost of basic stability."
The report found the lowest estimated income thresholds in Birmingham, Ala. ($83,500), Memphis, Tenn. ($83,841), and Tulsa, Okla. ($84,524). Even in those markets, however, median wages fell between roughly $38,000 and $41,000 below the estimated amount needed to support a middle-class lifestyle.
The analysis defines the middle-class threshold as the income required for a single adult to cover essential expenses while also saving for retirement, building emergency savings, and maintaining modest discretionary spending.
The report, released Tuesday by resume-building service MyPerfectResume, analyzed data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage Calculator, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate the annual gross salary a single adult would need to pay for housing, transportation, food, health care, retirement savings, emergency savings and modest discretionary spending.
Researchers found the average middle-class income threshold across the 50 largest metropolitan areas is $104,681 a year, compared with an average median wage of $52,460 -- a gap of $52,221. None of the metropolitan areas studied had a median wage high enough to meet the estimated threshold.
San Jose, ranked as the nation's most expensive metropolitan area for achieving a middle-class lifestyle. The report estimated a single adult would need to earn $156,908 annually, compared with the area's median wage of $82,430.
Honolulu posted the largest gap between wages and living costs, with an estimated middle-class income threshold of $149,002, or 176.7% higher than the area's median wage of $53,840.
Other metropolitan areas requiring more than $130,000 annually for a middle-class lifestyle included New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
In the San Diego-Carlsbad metropolitan area, the report estimated a single adult would need an annual income of $134,089 to maintain a middle-class lifestyle. The area's median wage is $57,340, creating a gap of $76,749.
Jasmine Escalera, a career expert for MyPerfectResume, said the findings show that wages have not kept pace with rising living costs.
"The struggle to reach the middle class is not limited to expensive coastal cities," Escalera said in a statement. "Even in more affordable metros, median wages are not keeping pace with the cost of basic stability."
The report found the lowest estimated income thresholds in Birmingham, Ala. ($83,500), Memphis, Tenn. ($83,841), and Tulsa, Okla. ($84,524). Even in those markets, however, median wages fell between roughly $38,000 and $41,000 below the estimated amount needed to support a middle-class lifestyle.
The analysis defines the middle-class threshold as the income required for a single adult to cover essential expenses while also saving for retirement, building emergency savings, and maintaining modest discretionary spending.
