Who’s considered middle class in Texas? You need this income in 2025, a new study says

You have to make at least $50,515 to be considered middle class in Texas, according to a new study from financial advice technology company SmartAsset.

Texas ranks No. 23 in the country for middle-class income ranges in the U.S. in the study (meaning, Texas has the 23rd-highest middle class income in the country).

The study used the Pew Research Center’s definition of middle income, which is two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income.

To calculate their findings, SmartAsset analyzed the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey data to identify the median household income in 100 of the largest U.S. cities and all 50 states in order to define what constitutes middle-class income.

So what does it take to be middle class in Texas?

How much do you need to earn to be considered middle class in Texas?

A household needs between $50,515 and $151,560 to be considered middle class in the Lone Star state in 2023, according to the study. The median household income is $75,780, according to the study.

How much do you need to earn to be considered middle class in Dallas-Fort Worth?

Looking at just cities, SmartAssets ranked Plano as the seventh-most expensive city to maintain a middle-class standing in the country.

• Middle-class income range: $72,389-$217,188

• Median income: $108,594

Irving, at No. 43, has a median income that’s closer to the state’s median household income:

• Middle-class income range: $52,885-$158,670

• Median income: $79,335

And Fort Worth, at No. 46, is higher than Dallas:

Fort Worth:

• Middle-class income range: $51,383-$154,164

• Median income: $77,082

Dallas (No. 59):

• Middle-class income range: $46,743-$140,242

• Median income: $70,121

Arlington ranked No. 61:

• Middle-class income range: $46,134-$138,416

• Median income: $69,208

What percentage of households in Texas are middle class?

According to the 2023 American Community Survey, roughly 48 percent of Texas households qualify as middle class.

• Texas households between $50,000 and $74,999: 17 percent

• Texas households between $75,000 and $99,999: 12.7 percent

• Texas households between $100,000 and $149,999: 17.4 percent

Ella Gonzales

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.