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

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Los Angeles Rodeo Drive

Filipe Frazao/Shutterstock

In Los Angeles, a household income of $100,000 puts you in just the top 25% of earners.

If you're making $100,000 a year, you're doing pretty well for yourself, especially considering that the median household income in the US is $53,889.

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But if you live in the metro areas of Seattle, San Francisco, or Washington, DC, 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.

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

Here, we've highlighted 21 US cities where a $100,000 annual household income isn't enough to crack the top 20% of earners.

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Kathleen Elkins contributed to a previous version of this article.