How much must you earn in IL to be middle class? New report gives income range
Illinois residents need to make more to be considered in the “middle class” compared to in 2022, and Missouri’s middle class income floor has also increased, according to a new report.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports Illinois has a median household income of $81,702, though several southern Illinois counties have median incomes below the state’s overall median.
A March 17 report from finance website GoBankingRates reports the minimum household income required to be considered middle class increased by $2,179 in Illinois from 2022 to 2025.
The report defines “middle class” as an annual household income two-thirds to double the median income and outlined middle class incomes for all 50 states. Minimum middle class incomes ranged from $36,610 to $67,768, depending on the state.
U.S. residents have seen the cost for essentials increase across the board recently, with a 2.8% overall inflation rate from February 2024 to February 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One of the only items to see price relief has been gas. Current and proposed tariffs by President Donald Trump’s administration are expected to increase consumer prices for some items, as well.
What’s considered middle class in Illinois?
An Illinois household needed to make $52,289 in 2022 to be considered middle class, but that number has spiked to $54,468 in 2025, according to GoBankingRates. In 2012, the state’s minimum middle class income was $37,902.
Missouri’s middle class income was $31,555 in 2012 and $43,947 in 2022, and is $45,947 this year. Mississippi has the lowest income needed to be considered middle class in the U.S., while Maryland has the highest.
GoBankingRates reports Illinois incomes from $54,468 to $163,404 are middle class, and the “upper-middle” class starts at $127,092. In Missouri, the middle class range is $45,947 to $137,840 and the upper-middle class begins at $107,209.
A recent report from finance website SmartAsset named Alexander, Pulaski and Jackson counties among the poorest in Illinois, with median incomes ranging from $40,365 to $44,847. While the minimum wage has increased in Illinois over recent years, it remains insufficient to cover basic necessities for a single adult without children, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living wage calculator.
An Illinois resident would need to work 82 hours per week at the $15 state minimum wage to afford a typically priced, two-bedroom rental home, the National Low Income Housing Coalition reports.
St. Clair County has a median household income of $70,178, according to the Census Bureau, and 13.4% of the county’s residents live in poverty.
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This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
