How Much You Need To Earn To Rank in the Top 10% of Your State

By definition, there will always be a significant gap between what the median wage is in a state versus what the top 10% earn. However, the size of this gap can vary widely depending on where you live. For example, if you live in New York or Washington, D.C., you'll need to earn about four times the median income to crack the top 10%. In other states, like Utah, the top 10% of incomes are exactly three times as large as median salaries.

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To help highlight the disparities, GOBankingRates analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data from the 2019 American Community Survey to determine quintile mean income and the amount earned by the top 10% of earners in each state. States were ranked from the smallest salaries earned by the top 10% to the largest.

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What's clear is that both the median income and the salary earned by the top 10% in each state can vary considerably. If you're looking to earn more and have some flexibility, you can check out the average salaries in nearby states to see if you might be able to boost your income. Even if you remain in your home state, there are plenty of entry-level jobs that pay far above the median incomes listed below.

Last updated: June 21, 2021

51. West Virginia

Median income: $48,850
Top 10% income: $163,240

In West Virginia, the top 10% earns 234% -- or $114,390 -- more than the median income.

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Downtown street in Jackson, Mississippi with the state capitol building.

50. Mississippi

Median income: $45,792
Top 10% income: $169,318

Mississippi has the lowest median income in America, but the wealthy still do well on a relative basis, earning 270% more than the average earner.

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Fayetteville is the third-largest city in Arkansas and county seat of Washington County.

49. Arkansas

Median income: $48,952
Top 10% income: $173,941

Top earners in Arkansas do much better than average, earning 255% more than the median income.

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48. Alabama

Median income: $51,734
Top 10% income: $180,469

Alabama, like many states in the South, has a tremendous wealth gap between average earners and the top 10%, who pull down 249% more than the median income.

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47. New Mexico

Median income: $51,945
Top 10% income: $181,940

The Land of Enchantment doesn't have a very high median income, but earners in the top 10% pull down 250% more than the average earner.

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, USA - JUNE 12, 2016: Louisville, located on the banks of the Ohio River, is home to the Kentucky Derby and the hometown of Muhammad Ali.

46. Kentucky

Median income: $52,295
Top 10% income: $183,549

Top earners in the Bluegrass State earn $131,254 more on average than the median earner, amounting to a 251% jump.

45. South Dakota

Median income: $59,533
Top 10% income: $184,714

The gap between average and top earners in South Dakota is more equitable than in some states, reaching just 210%.

44. Idaho

Median income: $60,999
Top 10% income: $188,036

Median earnings in Idaho crack the $60,000 barrier, but top earners net 208% more.

43. Louisiana

Median income: $51,073
Top 10% income: $190,038

Louisiana has one of the lowest median incomes in the nation, but the top 10% still does quite well. This translates to a relatively large 272% gap between the two.

Portland is the largest city in the state of Maine located on a penninsula extended into the scenic Casco Bay.

42. Maine

Median income: $58,924
Top 10% income: $190,606

Relatively speaking, the gap between top 10% earners and median earners isn't huge in Maine, amounting to just 223%.

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Missoula, United States - May 13, 2016: The downtown area of this college town in Montana is clean, lined with business and historic buildings.

41. Montana

Median income: $57,153
Top 10% income: $191,819

The top 10% in Big Sky country earn about 3.36 times the median income, an increase of about 236%.

Downtown Tulsa skyline in the background with a park with a waterway and fountain in the foreground.

40. Oklahoma

Median income: $54,449
Top 10% income: $192,061

If you're in the top 10% of income earners in Oklahoma, you pull down about 253% more than the median income.

Des Moines skyline view with Downtown Des Moines, elevated view.

39. Iowa

Median income: $61,691
Top 10% income: $192,979

The gap between median and top earners in Iowa isn't as large as in many states, amounting to just 213%.

38. Indiana

Median income: $57,603
Top 10% income: $193,279

The top 10% in Indiana earn about $135,000 more than the median annually, or about 236% more.

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37. Missouri

Median income: $57,409
Top 10% income: $194,185

The gap between top and median earners in Missouri is about average, amounting to $136,776, or 238%.

Cheyenne, United States - September 22, 2015: Downtown Cheyenne street scene with historic buildings and car with driver in an intersection.

36. Wyoming

Median income: $65,003
Top 10% income: $196,029

Wyoming has one of the smallest gaps in the nation between its median earners and its top 10%, amounting to just 202%.

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35. Wisconsin

Median income: $64,168
Top 10% income: $197,977

Wisconsin's top 10% earns 209% more than its median earners on average, a relatively benign ratio.

34. Nebraska

Median income: $63,229
Top 10% income: $197,997

Nebraska's top earners pull down 213% more than its median earners, which is a relatively low gap on a national basis.

33. South Carolina

Median income: $56,227
Top 10% income: $198,951

To jump from the median income to the top 10% of income earners in South Carolina you'd need to earn an additional 254%.

32. Ohio

Median income: $58,642
Top 10% income: $199,074

If you earn the median income in Ohio and want to jump up to the top 10% of earners, you'll need to raise your salary by 239%.

31. Tennessee

Median income: $56,071
Top 10% income: $199,456

The $143,385 difference between median and top 10% earners in Tennessee is fairly large on a percentage basis, amounting to a 256% jump.

30. Vermont

Median income: $63,001
Top 10% income: $200,816

Median earners in Vermont pull down over $63,000, but the top 10% earns $200,816, amounting to a spread of 219%.

Wichita, Kansas downtown skyline during Autumn, with Autumn trees in the foreground.

29. Kansas

Median income: $62,087
Top 10% income: $200,932

If you're a top 10% earner in Kansas, you're pulling down 224% of what median income workers make.

Detroit Skyline, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

28. Michigan

Median income: $59,584
Top 10% income: $201,676

The spread between the median income and the top 10% of earners in Michigan is 238%.

27. North Carolina

Median income: $57,341
Top 10% income: $204,129

North Carolina's top 10% of earners outpace its median income by a fairly large 256%.

26. Arizona

Median income: $62,055
Top 10% income: $209,819

Top-end salaries start heating up in the Valley of the Sun, where the top 10% earns 238% of the median salary.

Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the State of North Dakota and is the county seat of Grand Forks County.

25. North Dakota

Median income: $64,577
Top 10% income: $209,985

The top 10% of earners in North Dakota pull down 225% more than the median wage.

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Skyscrapers next to a river in Portland.

24. Oregon

Median income: $67,058
Top 10% income: $215,026

If you're earning a median income in Oregon, you'll need to pull down about 221% more if you want to crack the top 10%.

23. Florida

Median income: $59,227
Top 10% income: $217,456

Florida is the first state in the list with a top 10% earning at least $200,000, a significant 267% above the median income.

22. Nevada

Median income: $63,276
Top 10% income: $220,208

The Silver State generates a lot of gold for its top 10% earners, who pull down $156,932 more than the state's median earners.

21. Georgia

Median income: $61,980
Top 10% income: $222,399

Georgia's top wage earners greatly outpace the state's median wage, with the top 10% earning 259% more on average.

20. Pennsylvania

Median income: $63,463
Top 10% income: $223,499

Pennsylvania's gap between the top 10% of wage earners and the median income is fairly high on a national basis, at 252%.

19. Delaware

Median income: $70,176
Top 10% income: $224,894

The gap between the top 10% and the median income in Delaware stands at $154,718, or 220%.

Salt Lake City panoramic overview in the evening.

18. Utah

Median income: $75,780
Top 10% income: $227,022

Utah has a relatively high median income, and this translates into the lowest gap between top and average wage earners in the country. Utah's top 10% earn just 200% more than the median wage.

17. Texas

Median income: $64,034
Top 10% income: $228,924

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and it's certainly true when it comes to the gap between the median income and the top 10%, which stands at 258%.

Providence is the capital and most populous city in Rhode Island.

16. Rhode Island

Median income: $71,169
Top 10% income: $228,951

The smallest state in the Union still pays out great wages for both median earners and the top 10%. The gap between the two is smaller than average for the country as a whole, at 222%.

15. Minnesota

Median income: $74,593
Top 10% income: $233,949

Minnesota's top 10% earns $159,356 more than the median income, a spread of 214%.

14. Alaska

Median income: $75,463
Top 10% income: $234,221

Alaska has the one of the smallest spreads between its top 10% earners and its median income in the entire country, at just 210%. The state's high median income is a main reason why.

13. New Hampshire

Median income: $77,933
Top 10% income: $241,891

New Hampshire has a relatively high median income, and that helps keep the gap between its average wage earners and the top 10% to a very modest 210%.

12. Illinois

Median income: $69,187
Top 10% income: $245,173

The Land of Lincoln has a pretty wide spread between its top 10% and its median income, at 254%.

11. Hawaii

Median income: $83,102
Top 10% income: $252,492

The Aloha State has one of the tiniest spreads in the nation between its median and top 10% of wage earners, at just 204%.

10. Colorado

Median income: $77,127
Top 10% income: $255,114

The thin air of Colorado also seems to contribute to sky-high salaries, with the state's top 10% earning $177,987 more than its median earners, a spread of 231%.

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Afternoon Traffic in the Streets of Downtown Seattle on a Sunny Day.

9. Washington

Median income: $78,687
Top 10% income: $262,118

Washington's top 10% earns more than $183,431 above the state's median wage, a spread of 233%.

Lynchburg, Virginia, USA downtown skyline.

8. Virginia

Median income: $76,456
Top 10% income: $265,171

Virginia's top 10% of earners enjoy wages a significant 247% above the state's median income.

Panoramic image of Baltimore's Federal Hill, overlooking the Inner Harbor and its many tall buildings on a sunny autumn afternoon under a clear blue sky.

7. Maryland

Median income: $86,738
Top 10% income: $280,115

Maryland has one of the highest median incomes in the nation, but its top 10% still earn 223% more.

6. New York

Median income: $72,108
Top 10% income: $291,906

New York has the highest disparity in the nation between its median income and that of its top 10%, at a whopping 305%.

San Francisco, California, USA city skyline.

5. California

Median income: $80,440
Top 10% income: $295,369

California's top 10% earns quite a bit more than its median wage earners. The $214,919 disparity translates to a 267% spread.

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4. Massachusetts

Median income: $85,843
Top 10% income: $299,188

The disparity between what the top 10% makes versus the median income in Massachusetts stands at 249%.

3. New Jersey

Median income: $85,751
Top 10% income: $305,190

Wage disparity in the Garden State is fairly high, with the top 10% drawing 256% more than median wage earners.

Bridgeport is the most populous city in the American state of Connecticut.

2. Connecticut

Median income: $78,833
Top 10% income: $306,153

Wages are high in Connecticut, but so is the spread between the top 10% and the median income. At $227,320, that disparity translates to 288%.

11216, 11301, Horizontal, States, Washington DC, america, capital

1. District of Columbia

Median income: $92,266
Top 10% income: $361,695

The top 10% in the District of Columbia make $269,429 more than the average worker. This wage gap -- 292% more than the median salary -- is the largest wage gap in terms of absolute dollars in the country.

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Methodology: GOBankingRates used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2019 American Community Survey on the mean income in the top quintile (20%) of earners to estimate earnings for the top 10%. GOBankingRates then compared this figure to the overall median household income in the U.S. for context. All data was collected on and up to date as of Nov. 25, 2020.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much You Need To Earn To Rank in the Top 10% of Your State