Six-figure salary needed to live comfortably in America

A new survey asked, “What annual income would you need to feel rich/attain financial freedom?”

Nearly half of Americans answered that question, saying they need to make at least $100,000 or more a year to “feel financially secure” or “comfortable,” according to a new survey from Bankrate.

A quarter of respondents in total even said that the salary they’d need to make to feel comfortable is $150,000 — and 8% of those people said they would need to earn between $200,000 and $499,999, while another 8% said at least $500,000.

“Getting rich may have once been what many Americans fantasized about, but now, simply living comfortably feels like the new aspiration, as economic challenges make financial stability a rare luxury,” Sarah Foster, Bankrate U.S. Economic Reporter, said in a statement.

However, 45% of respondents said they would feel financially secure making less than six figures, with 34% saying they’d be fine making between $50,00 and $99,999.

Regardless, more than half of the respondents (56%) said they would need to earn more than they currently do to feel financially stable.

Among the respondents, 54% of those who are already earning $100,000 said they would need at least $50,000 more each year to feel comfortable and not like they’re just getting by.

Gen X was most likely to say they’d need to earn $150,000 or more to be financially secure (35%), compared to 26% of millennials and 20% of Gen Z.

And with inflation, tariffs and overall economic uncertainty, it’s no surprise that 77% of U.S. adults said they don’t feel “completely financially secure” — and 32% said they don’t think they ever will.

For those who earn $150,000 annually and live in the tri-state area, you’re most likely considered part of the upper-middle class.

People need an annual household income of at least $131,566 to be considered part of this class in New York state — and shockingly, even more in New Jersey and Connecticut, according to a new study by GoBankingRates.

To be considered part of this elite group in the Constitution State, you’ll need to earn $145,849 to qualify and $157,189 in the Garden State.