Are you in the middle class?

Middle-class Americans earned $39,000 to $115,000 in 2016, according to the Pew Research Center, but middle-class incomes vary depending on where you live. Click through our gallery to see how your city measures up against other local cities.|

Are you middle class? The Palo Alto weekly asked this question to their readers last month and found that out of more than 250 readers surveyed, 81 with incomes between $10,000 to $399,999 said they were “middle class.” That is huge span from people who are struggling to those who in other parts of the country would be considered wealthy.

The Pew Research Center defines middle class as those earning 67% to 200% of the median household income. With a current national average of around $58 thousand that means if you earn more than $115 thousand you could be considered wealthy in national terms, but these boundaries vary at state and city levels.

Using the Pew ratio and statistics from the American Community Survey, Santa Rosa residents are middle class if they earn between $42,012 and $125,410, for Palo Alto that boundary shifts up from $91,819 to $274,086.

How do the major cities in Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties compare to major urban centers to the south? Click through our gallery above to find out.

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