The 20 US cities where the middle class is shrinking fastest
By Alix Martichoux,
23 days ago
(NEXSTAR) – Americans in every state, city and corner of the country are feeling the squeeze amid years (upon years) of rising prices. As the cost of living grows and wages for many workers stagnate, a middle-class lifestyle can feel more elusive.
A Pew Research study found about 51% of Americans live in middle-class households in 2023, down from 61% in 1971.
“As a result, Americans are more apart than before financially. From 1971 to 2023, the share of Americans who live in lower-income households increased from 27% to 30%, and the share in upper-income households increased from 11% to 19%,” Pew wrote.
The researchers found that Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native families are more likely to be in lower income tiers. So are people that in metro areas throughout the Southwest, from McAllen, Texas, to Bakersfield, California, Pew found.
Personal finance site MoneyGeek took a closer look at household income data to figure out where the middle class is shrinking over time. When looking at Census data for 600 cities, they found 367 had declines in the size of the middle class between 2017 and 2022.
Some of the changes were dramatic, like in Springdale, Arkansas, and Carmel, Indiana, where the middle class shrunk by double-digit percentage points in 5 years.
The 20 cities with the biggest drop in middle-income households, according to MoneyGeek, were:
Rank
City
Drop in middle-income households (2017-22)
Percentage of households that are middle income
Middle income range
Population size (2022)
1
Springdale, AR
-12.0%
43.2%
$39,351-$118,054
85,844
2
Carmel, IN
-10.7%
41.0%
$86,888-$260,664
101,286
3
Rockville, MD
-9.7%
37.2%
$70,892-$212,676
66,915
4
Yorba Linda, CA
-9.3%
42.0%
$101,023-$303,068
67,077
5
The Woodlands, TX
-9.2%
35.0%
$91,557-$274,670
117,970
6
Union City, CA
-8.8%
38.4%
$98,973-$296,920
67,049
7
Bellflower, CA
-8.6%
37.5%
$49,421-$148,262
76,405
8
Castro Valley, CA
-8.2%
38.0%
$88,857-$266,570
66,506
9
O’Fallon, MO
-8.1%
45.7%
$70,160-$210,480
93,648
10
Sandy Springs, GA
-8.1%
39.1%
$69,596-$208,788
107,767
11
Layton, UT
-8.0%
47.6%
$66,790-$200,370
82,600
12
Melbourne, FL
-7.6%
37.3%
$42,887-$128,662
86,439
13
Daly City, CA
-7.6%
40.1%
$72,818-$218,454
99,990
14
Dale City, VA
-7.6%
44.0%
$64,809-$194,428
66,140
15
Arlington Heights, IL
-7.5%
36.8%
$75,980-$227,940
74,207
16
Bowling Green, KY
-7.3%
37.6%
$30,541-$91,624
74,929
17
North Port, FL
-7.2%
47.7%
$52,391-$157,174
85,102
18
Newport Beach, CA
-7.1%
35.0%
$84,902-$254,706
83,981
19
Citrus Heights, CA
-6.9%
43.7%
$49,282-$147,846
86,440
20
Renton, WA
-6.8%
40.1%
$62,259-$186,776
104,060
While it can be hard to define what it feels like to be middle class, MoneyGeek and Pew define “middle income” as earning between two-thirds and double the city’s median household income. That means a family earning $150,000 a year in ultra-expensive Santa Clara, California, would qualify as middle income.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
Comments / 0