Staggering six-figure income now means you’re ‘lower-middle class’ in 12 states — including California

Metro Staggering six-figure income now means you’re ‘lower-middle class’ in 12 states — including California By Brian Gallagher Published April 29, 2026, 7:43 p.m. ET A six-figure income used to mean you’d made it — but those days are long gone for Californians and residents of several other states across the country. The $100,000 annual salary many had strived for as a status symbol is now barely enough to make ends meet in the 21st Century, according to a new report from Money Lion. The once-coveted salary is now considered “lower-middle class” in California and 11 other states. 5 A six-figure income used to mean one had it made in the proverbial shade, but those days are long gone for residents of California and several other states across the country.

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