America’s middle-class is shrinking. The number of Americans categorized as middle-class as fallen a staggering 10 percent since the 1970s, according to analysts.
One city to fare relatively well, however, is Olympia, Washington state’s capital. Home to 55,605 residents, it ranks atop a list of America’s most middle-class cities, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.
It’s no surprise the pacific northwestern city ranked top among 254 US metro areas, as it offers luxurious landscapes boasting breathtaking view of Mt. Rainer, the Olympic Mountain Range and borders the awe-inspiring Capitol Lake.
Olympia, Washington state’s capital, which is home to 55,605 residents, ranked atop the list (Pictured: Washington State Capitol)
The city offers luxurious landscapes boasting breathtaking view of Mt. Rainer
Pew’s analysis defined a middle-class adult as someone living in a household with an annual income of two-thirds to double the national median household income, which was around $75,000 at the time of the study.
Household size and area cost of living were key factors in determining what qualified as middle-class.
A person living alone, generally, requires a lower income than a larger family would to support the same lifestyle. Similarly, a household in part of the country with a lower cost of living would need less income than one in a higher-priced area.
Using income data from the 2020 Census, Pew assigned residents in each metro area to an income tier – low, middle or high.
Olympia was the lone metro in the Western US to earn a spot in the coveted top 10 with others in the upper Midwest and a few on the East Coast.
Olympia was the lone metro in the Western US to earn a spot in the coveted top 10 (Pictured: Olympia on a summer evening, looking across the downtown towards the capitol)
Yet, on the other side of the spectrum sits San Jose, California with a near half of the population falling in the higher-income bracket at 41 percent – matching the number of those residing in a middle-class home.
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In the middle landed Seattle, another Washington state city, with 51 percent of adults in middle-class households. Twenty-one percent of Seattle-area adults were in the low-income tier, and 28 percent were in the high-income bracket.
Snagging the ranking for the highest population of lower-income residents was Laredo, Texas with 46 percent of residents in the lower bracket. The highest shares of lower-income adults were mostly found in the Southern US.
The places with the highest share of middle-class adults were all, like Olympia, small-to-medium size metro areas located in the northern half of the U.S.
San Jose, California (pictured) has around 41 percent of the population falling in the higher-income bracket
Snagging the marker for the highest population of lower-income residents was Laredo, Texas (pictured) with a shocking 46 percent of residents ranking in this bracket
Olympia was one of three state-capital regions to rank inside the top 10, with the others being Dover, Delaware and Bismarck, North Dakota.
Other cities rounding out the top 10 include Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Janesville-Beloit, Wisconsin; Oshkosh-Neenah, Wisconsin; Lima, Ohio; Glens Falls, New York; Jackson, Missouri and St. Joseph, Missouri.
A report revealed earlier this year showed 52 percent of Americans living in a middle-class household, with 30 percent in a low-income household and 19 percent among the high-income tier.
The same report revealed the top metros for high-income residents were more populous areas, including Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C.
They also tended to be coastal metros, with the exception of Austin.