17 US cities where making $100,000 a year isn't enough to put you in the top 20% of earners

Advertisement

back bay boston

Shutterstock

Boston's historic Back Bay neighborhood.

Advertisement

The median annual household income in the US is $53,657.

So if you're making $100,000 a year, you're doing pretty well for yourself - in fact, households earning $100,000 or more represent the top 20% of all earners in America, according to the US Census Bureau.

Yet in some high-earning cities, a low six-figure household income barely puts you among the top half of earners, let alone in the top 20%.

In Stamford, Connecticut, for example, you'd represent the top 48% with a $100,000 household income.

Advertisement

That's according to an interactive tool from The New York Times which allows you to enter your household income and compare your earnings across 344 metro areas throughout the US.

Here, we've highlighted 17 US cities where a $100,000 annual household income isn't enough to crack the top 20%, or even 25%, of earners: