income woes
Here's what it takes to be a middle class earner in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2024
It's becoming increasingly difficult to be middle class earner in an area like Dallas-Fort Worth.
No one wants to hear that they aren't making enough money to be considered "middle class," and those income ceilings are getting more difficult to maintain year after year across all of Dallas-Fort Worth. And a new report has revealed Frisco has the No. 8 highest income ceiling for American middle class earners in 2024.
According to the 2024 edition of SmartAsset's annual "What It Takes to Be Middle Class in America" report, middle class households in Frisco would need to make between $97,266 and $291,828 a year to be labeled "middle class." Additionally, the city's median middle class household income comes out to $145,914 a year.
The report used a variation of Pew Research's definition of a middle class household, stating the salary range is "two-thirds to double the median U.S. salary." To determine income limits, the report analyzed data from the Census Bureau's 2022 one-year American Community Survey. New to the 2024 report, SmartAsset widened its analysis of income data from 100 to 345 of the largest American cities.
Frisco's middle class income thresholds are egregiously higher than the national average, the study found.
"In a large U.S. city, a middle-class income averages between $52,000 and $155,000," the report says. "The median household income across all 345 cities is $77,345, making middle-class income limits fall between $51,558 and $154,590."
In a shocking turn of events, Plano plummeted into No. 43 this year after ranking in the top 10 in SmartAsset's 2023 report. At the time, a Plano household needed to make between $63,651 and $190,004 a year to be considered middle class. But the latest findings from the 2024 report show the necessary salary range to maintain a middle class designation in Plano is now between $69,270 and $207,832 a year.
Irving, which ranked No. 38 last year with a middle class income range between $47,128 and $140,680 a year, also took a huge tumble in the 2024 report, falling out of the top 100 into No. 150. Households in Irving now need to make between $52,212 and $156,652 a year to be middle class.
In Dallas proper, the city fell from No. 72 to No. 213 in 2024, with households needing to make between $43,596 and $130,800 to maintain their "middle class" status. Last year, middle class earners would have needed to make between $38,857 and $115,990 annually.
The study's findings are shedding light on further growing financial stress and affordability struggles throughout the U.S., likely heightened by inflation and cost of living increases.
"As a middle-class American, there is some expectation for living a lifestyle of relative comfort," the report said. "But as costs have increased significantly over the last few years, the middle class is now feeling a squeeze in their finances."
Here’s what it takes to be middle class in other Dallas-Fort Worth cities:
- No. 21 – Allen: between $80,743 and $242,254 a year
- No. 40 – McKinney: between $69,739 and $209,238 a year
- No. 78 – Carrollton: between $61,816 and $185,468 a year
- No. 101 – Richardson: between $57,444 and $172,350 a year
- No. 147 – Lewisville: between $52,631 and $157,910 a year
- No. 178 – Grand Prairie: between $48,176 and $144,542 a year
- No. 182 – Denton: between $47,803 and $143,422 a year
- No. 184 – Fort Worth: between $47,680 and $143,054 a year (versus $45,717-$136,470 last year)
- No. 185 – Garland: between $47,456 and $142,382 a year, (versus $41,277-$123,214 last year)
- No. 192 – Arlington: between $46,951 and $140,866 a year (versus $40,126-$119,778 last year)
- No. 203 – Mesquite: between $45,418 and $136,268 a year
Middle class income thresholds within the top 10 U.S. cities
Frisco wasn't the only Texas city to earn a spot in the top 10. The Woodlands, a suburb outside of Houston, ranked No. 10 in the national comparison of U.S. cities with the highest income thresholds to be labeled middle class.
Middle class households in The Woodlands make between $91,548 and $274,670 a year, with the median household income at $137,335, according to the report.
Unsurprisingly, half of the top 10 cities with the highest middle class income ceilings are in California. The report found households in four of the five cities could be bringing in over $300,000 a year in income and still be classified as middle class.
California’s overall high cost-of-living means residents in the No. 1 city of Sunnyvale would need to make between $113,176 and $339,562 a year to be labeled middle class. Sunnyvale overtook Fremont for the top spot in the report in 2024.
The top 10 cities with the highest middle class ceilings are:
- No. 1 – Sunnyvale, California
- No. 2 – Fremont, California
- No. 3 – San Mateo, California
- No. 4 – Santa Clara, California
- No. 5 – Bellevue, Washington
- No. 6 – Highlands Ranch, Colorado
- No. 7 – Carlsbad, California
- No. 8 – Frisco, Texas
- No. 9 – Naperville, Illinois
- No. 10 – The Woodlands, Texas
The full report and its methodology can be found on smartasset.com.
