ST. LOUIS – The costs of maintaining a middle class lifestyle, much like other aspects of American life over recent years, continue to rise. And in St. Louis, that’s not much different from elsewhere.
A new report from CNBC analyzes the salary needed “to be considered middle class” in 25 of the nation’s largest U.S. metros.
Owning a house, owning a car and affording to pay bills, three staples of a middle class lifestyle, are growing steeper in most major metros. Depending on your location, the financial demand to be “middle class” could be as much as six figures.
According to CNBC, if you live in the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area, you need to make between $50,000 to $149,000 to be considered middle class.
Only five other major metros included in the report had less expensive starting and ending points than St. Louis in their classifications of a middle class lifestyle: Detroit, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio and Tampa. All five were within $5,000 of the lower-end and $10,000 of the higher-end.
CNBC says the landscape of jobs in certain metros could lead to higher costs of a middle class lifestyle, citing San Francisco and Seattle as examples of major tech hubs with higher costs and Washington D.C. for a variety of high-paying jobs like lawyers and politicians.
The report also indicates that a higher scale of being middle class, such as San Francisco’s, doesn’t necessarily mean a higher quality in life with affording everyday costs.
