How Much Do You Have to Make to Be Considered Middle Class in Maine?

I used to describe myself as middle class. I'm thinking I'll be changing my definition.

GOBankingRates did some digging using information from the 2022 American Community Survey as conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. They based it on what the Pew Research Center defines as middle class (middle-income household). You have to have an income that is two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income.

Of course, cost of living and average incomes are very different from state to state. You might be middle-class in one state and nowhere near middle-class in another state. So, GOBankingRates used Pew's definition and crunched the numbers for all the states.

In Maine, middle class income is set as:

• Median household income: $68,251 
• Lowest end of middle class income: $45,500 
• Highest end of middle class income: $136,502 

A few years ago, GOBankingRates did the calculations on Maine's middle class income based on 2018 data. At that time, the middle class income range was from $42,119.55 to $125,730 for a two person family.

So, are you middle class? That's quite the range of income to hit the middle spot. But if you go to our neighbors to the south, New Hampshire, it gets a lot tougher to be middle class!

New Hampshire's middle class data:

If you compare what is considered middle class to what is the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), it's a definite reality check. In 2025, those numbers are:

• $21,150 for a family of 2
• $26,650 for a family of 3
• $32,150 for a family of 4

(Those also have increased about $5,000 in the past few years.)

According to the Census Bureau, 10.4% of Maine lived below the poverty level in 2019 - 2023. Almost 11% of Maine residents live below the poverty level! That's absolutely insane!

Keep scrolling to learn more about how our state ranks for income.