This is how much you have to earn to be middle class in NJ

Sometimes it seems like the middle class has disappeared, especially in a state with such a high cost of living like New Jersey. But there still is the category of middle class, so someone’s got to be there. Are you? Read on to find out.

The research was done by a website called Consumer Affairs. The Pew Research Center has a calculator determining the minimum annual income in each state to be considered middle-class. ConsumerAffairs used that calculator, based on 2018 data, then put those numbers into an inflation calculator provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For New Jersey, the minimum income needed to be considered middle class is $80,163. If you’re a typical family (mom, dad, and two kids), I’m guessing if you’re making that, you are still struggling. Maybe if you’re single you could be middle class on $80k.

According to Rutgers (as of 2018), to be middle class in New Jersey, you need to earn between $60k and $177k; where you live in the state is an important factor.

Another study, this one by GoBankingRates, looked into how much you need to earn in NJ to be middle class, factoring in family size. They used information from the US Census American Family Survey; their numbers look like this:

⚫ 2-person family middle-class income range: $56,409 to $168,384

⚫ 3-person family middle-class income range: $70,741 to $211,166

⚫ 4-person family middle-class income range: $86,287 to $257,572

Oliver Rust of Truflation, told Consumer Affairs,

Historically, the middle class has been the engine of American economic growth and prosperity. Yet we’re now seeing the middle class capturing a lower share of income than in the 60s, 70s and 80s. In the two decades since the mid-2000s, it has shrunk from roughly 60%, in part due to demographic changes as the population has seen a particularly steep increase at the extreme bottom and top of the economic spectrum.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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