Here’s how far a middle-class salary goes in San Jose

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

With America’s middle class shrinking in both population share and income growth, a recent study looked to see how far such salaries go in the largest U.S. cities.

As for cities where a middle-class salary doesn’t adequately cover mortgage and other living costs, West Coast markets are found at the top. In San Jose, California, the median household income is $136,010 — but there’s a gap of nearly $60,000 for covering annual expenses. San Jose is followed by San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Seattle.

On the other end, a middle-class salary goes the furthest, respectively, in Detroit; Memphis, Tennessee; Wichita, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Baltimore.

For the study, the personal finance website analyzed the latest U.S. Census data to calculate each city’s median household income. It included expenses such as groceries, health care, housing, utilities, transportation and other indexes to determine a city’s average annual cost of living. Data was collected on Nov. 5.

GoBankingRates used the Pew Research Center’s definition of middle class, which refers to an income that’s two-thirds to double the median household income.

Earlier this year, a separate study by personal finance website SmartAsset showed that an individual in San Jose needed to make an annual salary of $136,739 to ‘live comfortably.’ For two working people raising two children in San Jose, they’d need to earn a combined salary of $334,547. This is the second highest on the SmartAsset study only to New York City ($138,570 and $318,406, respectively).

For comparison, the to city with the lowest salaries needed to live comfortably is Houston, Texas, at $75,088 (individual) and $175,219 (two working people raising two children).

That analysis factored in 50% of a person’s budget for needs such as housing, groceries and transportation; 30% earmarked for wants such as entertainment and hobbies; and 20% reserved for paying off debt, saving or investing.