A new study looks at how much annual household income it takes to be considered middle-class in the most expensive cities in the U.S. Not surprisingly, Bay Area cities took up eight spots in the list of the 10 most expensive cities with a population over 100,000, compiled by MoneyLion, a mobile banking company.

The most affluent city on the list was Sunnyvale, with a median household income of $186,170 in 2024. However, to be considered upper-middle-class in the city, you will have to make in the range of $289,600 to $372,340, according to the study. In fact, in Sunnyvale, Fremont, Santa Clara and San Mateo, a household has to make in the $300K-plus range to be considered upper middle class.

The middle-class range in the study had a lower and upper limit. It used Pew Research’s definition of middle class: two-thirds of the median household income on the lower end to double the median number on the upper end. Therefore, you could still be considered middle-class in Sunnyvale if your household made $124,113 a year, according to the data. Here are the results from the top 10 list:

1. Sunnyvale, California

—2024 median household income: $186,170

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $124,113

—Highest end of middle-class income: $372,340

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $124,113 to $206,856

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $289,600 to $372,340

2. San Mateo, California

—2024 median household income: $153,504

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $102,336

—Highest end of middle-class income: $307,008

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $102,336 to $170,560

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $238,786 to $307,008

3. San Francisco

—2024 median household income: $140,970

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $93,980

—Highest end of middle-class income: $281,940

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $93,980 to $156,633

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $219,289 to $281,940

4. Santa Clara, California

—2024 median household income: $178,958

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $119,305

—Highest end of middle-class income: $357,916

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $119,305 to $198,842

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $278,381 to $357,916

5. Berkeley, California

—2024 median household income: $108,092

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $72,061

—Highest end of middle-class income: $216,184

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $72,061 to $120,102

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $168,145 to $216,184

6. Fremont, California

—2024 median household income: $181,506

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $121,004

—Highest end of middle-class income: $363,012

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $121,004 to $201,673

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $282,345 to $363,012

7. San Jose, California

—2024 median household income: $146,427

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $97,618

—Highest end of middle-class income: $292,854

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $97,618 to $162,697

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $227,777 to $292,854

8. Daly City, California

—2024 median household income: $123,547

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $82,365

—Highest end of middle-class income: $247,094

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $82,365 to $137,274

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $192,186 to $247,094

9. Bellevue, Washington

—2024 median household income: $165,576

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $110,384

—Highest end of middle-class income: $331,152

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $110,384 to $183,973

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $257,565 to $331,152

10. Glendale, California

—2024 median household income: $88,393

—Lowest end of middle-class income: $58,929

—Highest end of middle-class income: $176,786

—Lower-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $58,929 to $98,214

—Upper-middle-class range (lowest end-highest end): $137,502 to $176,786

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