Let’s face it — 2025 was an economically tumultuous year for America. The constant threat of tariffs, government restructuring and a shutdown, as well as a sluggish job market, all contributed to a year of high uncertainty.
While the financial landscape of 2026 remains unknown, there is one thing you can know about the new year: where your income places you in America’s economic ladder.
Defining America’s Economic Brackets
To determine where you stand, it’s first important to create a baseline understanding of America’s income brackets: lower, middle and upper.
The accepted standard for defining America’s income tiers is placing them relative to the national median household income. Lower-income citizens earn less than two-thirds of the median household income level, middle income is between two-thirds and double the median household income and upper class is more than double the median national household income.
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Determining Your Place on 2026’s Economic Ladder
To know where you are on the 2026 economic ladder, you first have to determine 2026’s median national household income. That number was last established in 2024 by the U.S. Census Bureau as $83,700. To estimate the 2026 median national household income, factor in a continued modest inflation of rate of 2.8% to 3.1%. That projects a 2026 median income level of $89,000 to $90,000.
With that projection in hand, you can now use your current income level to predict your place in 2026’s economy.
- Estimated lower-income in 2026: Yearly income less than $60,000
- Estimated middle-income in 2026: Yearly income between $60,000 to $180,000
- Estimated upper-income in 2026: Yearly income above $180,000
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The New 2026 Wealth Thresholds: Where Your Income Places You in America’s Economic Ladder
