How Much You Need To Be a Top 50% Earner in Every State

It’s a question pondered by most of us at some point: How does my salary stack up against what others are making?

You could rank yourself against your immediate peers, though that information can be tough to come by, and in-office salary talk can be tricky. You might compare yourselves to people in similar roles, to others at your company or to others in your industry. There are numerous online resources, such as Glassdoor, which can help with this.

Find Out: What Income Level Is Considered Middle Class in Your State?
Earn More: 7 Unusual Ways To Make Extra Money (That Actually Work)

There are also demographic comparisons. Maybe you’re wondering how well your pay holds up against others in your city or state, or across the nation.

GOBankingRates has sourced data from the American Community Survey — conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau — to help answer part of the question. After gathering median incomes, we compiled a list of just how much you need to make to crack the top half of earners in your state. We’ve also included rankings to show you where your state falls, with the state with the highest required salary No. 1, and the state with the lowest required salary No. 51 (we’ve included Washington, D.C.).

To make the top 50% for the whole nation, you need to pull in $75,150 a year. Here’s the state-by-state breakdown.

Alabama

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $59,610

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 46^th highest

Check Out: The Best Place To Live on a $100,000 Salary in Every State
Read Next: 8 States To Move to If You Don’t Want To Pay Taxes on Social Security

Alaska

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $86,371

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 13^th highest

Real Estate: 8 Places Where Houses Are Suddenly Major Bargains
Shark Advice: Mark Cuban’s 5 Best Passive Income Ideas

Arizona

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $72,582

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 24^th highest

Learn More: A $150K Income Is ‘Lower Middle Class’ In These High-Cost Cities

Arkansas

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $56,336

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 49^th highest

California

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $91,906

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 6^th highest

Colorado

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $87,599

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 10^th highest

Connecticut

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $90,214

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 9^th highest

Move Up: How Much Household Income Will Be Considered Upper Middle Class in 5 Years?

Delaware

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $79,326

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 17^th highest

District of Columbia

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $101,723

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 1^st

Florida

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $67,918

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 36^th highest

Money Expert: Barbara Corcoran Says, ‘Forget About Florida,’ Move Here for Cheap Homes

Georgia

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $71,356

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 29^th highest

Hawaii

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $94,815

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 5^th highest

Affordable Living: Hawaii on a Dime: 7 Crucial Tips To Live Frugally in the Aloha State

Idaho

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $70,215

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 31^st highest

Illinois

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $78,434

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 18^th highest

Indiana

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $67,174

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 37^th highest

Iowa

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $70,572

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 30^th highest

Kansas

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $69,748

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 32^nd highest

A Guide: How To Earn $4,000 a Month in Passive Income

Kentucky

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $60,184

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 45^th highest

Louisiana

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $57,853

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 48^th highest

Maine

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $68,252

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 35^th highest

Maryland

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $98,462

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 2^nd highest

Massachusetts

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $96,506

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 4^th highest

Michigan

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $68,506

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 34^th highest

Minnesota

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $84,314

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 14^th highest

Save Money: 6 Things Minimalists Never Buy — and You Shouldn’t Either

Mississippi

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $52,986

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 51^st highest

Missouri

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $65,921

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 41^st highest

Montana

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $66,342

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 39^th highest

Nebraska

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $71,723

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 27^th highest

Nevada

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $71,647

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 28^th highest

New Hampshire

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $90,846

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 7^th highest

New Jersey

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $97,127

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 3^rd highest

New Mexico

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $58,723

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 47^th highest

New York

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $81,387

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 15^th highest

Travel Tips: 11 Expensive Vacation Destinations That Will Be Cheaper in 2024

North Carolina

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $66,187

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 40^th highest

North Dakota

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $73,960

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 21^st highest

Ohio

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $66,991

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 38^th highest

Oklahoma

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $61,365

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 44^th highest

Oregon

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $76,633

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 19^th highest

Golden Years: Retiring Comfortably: These Are the Richest Retirement Towns in America for 2024

Pennsylvania

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $73,171

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 22^nd highest

Rhode Island

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $81,371

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 16^th highest

South Carolina

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $63,624

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 43^rd highest

South Dakota

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $69,458

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 33^rd highest

Tennessee

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $64,036

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 42^nd highest

Texas

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $73,036

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 23^rd highest

Utah

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $86,834

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 12^th highest

Vermont

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $74,015

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 20^th highest

See More: 15 Cheap, Beautiful Places To Retire

Virginia

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $87,250

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 11^th highest

Washington

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $90,326

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 8^th highest

West Virginia

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $55,218

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 50^th highest

Wisconsin

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $72,459

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 26^th highest

Wyoming

• Income needed to be in top 50%: $72,496

• Rank among 50 states + DC: 25^th highest

Methodology: For this piece GOBankingRates used the 2022 American Community Survey as conducted by the US Census Bureau to find the median income for each state as well as adding $1 to the median income to find what you would need to be a top 50% earner in each state. All data was collected and is up to date as of April 4, 2024.

More From GOBankingRates

• Suze Orman: 5 Social Security Facts Every Soon-To-Be Retiree Must Know

• 4 Sneaky Car Dealership Scams That Will Be Illegal in 2024

• Here's How to Add $200 to Your Wallet -- Just For Banking Like You Normally Would

• I Retired in My 70s: Here's My Monthly Budget

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much You Need To Be a Top 50% Earner in Every State