As the income gap increases across the U.S., the middle class is becoming harder to define.
Several studies conducted the past several years have aimed at coming up with a definition for this ever-shifting social marker, including a 2026 poll conducted by SmartAsset.
SmartAsset’s website defines the company as “an online destination for consumer-focused financial information and advice, offering educational content and personalized calculators and tools.”
Here’s what the company found:
What is middle class in Iowa?
The poll determined that to qualify as middle class in Iowa, households must earn between $50,334 and $151,002.
The state’s middle class ranking was 34th in the nation, with lower earning requirements than neighboring Minnesota (14th), Illinois (18th), Wisconsin (28th) and Kansas (33rd), but had a higher average than Missouri (42nd).
These figures were determined based on methodology laid out in a 2024 report from the Pew Research Center, which defined the middle class as making at least two-thirds and as much as two times the median income level.
In Iowa, median income is $75,501.
The numbers the study used to make these determinations came from data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 1-year American Community Survey.
The study not only considered the median income of each state, but also in the 100 largest cities across the U.S. No Iowa cities appeared on the list.
The top 10 states with highest middle-class income range:
The 10 states with lowest middle-class income ranges:
Norah Judson is a reporter for the Register. Reach her at njudson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What counts as middle class income in Iowa?
Reporting by Norah Judson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Norah Judson, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
