What does it mean to be “middle class” in America? The answer to this question has significant policy implications but lacks a definitive answer. Some insight comes from looking at income quintiles. One common definition of middle class includes only the middle quintile; another common definition includes the middle three quintiles.

According to census data from 2016, the middle income quintile (spanning the 41st to 60th percentiles) contains households earning between $45,600 and $74,869. The middle three income quintiles (21st to 40th percentiles, 41st to 60th percentiles, and 61st to 80th percentiles), however, contain households earning between $24,002 and $121,018.

The definition of a middle class income becomes more complicated when considering location and cost of living as well. A household income of $75,000 in the heartland provides a different standard of living than the same income in Los Angeles or New York City. Ultimately, this complexity may prevent national measures of income from truly defining the middle class.