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15 Most Affordable States for the Middle Class

WilliamSherman / Getty Images/iStockphoto
WilliamSherman / Getty Images/iStockphoto

As cost of living expenses continue to remain high, many Americans that live in expensive states are considering moving to states where a middle class income can take them much further.

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To find the most affordable states for the middle class, GOBankingRates analyzed all 50 states across multiple factors — including average credit card balances, home values, monthly mortgage costs, car insurance rates and student loan payments — then found the annual income needed to be considered middle class by calculating debt payments as a maximum of 36% of income, as that is the upper threshold recommended by financial advisors.

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In ascending order from 15th most affordable to number one, here are the 15 states where the middle class can experience an affordable cost of living.

Jon Mattrisch / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Jon Mattrisch / Getty Images/iStockphoto

15. Wisconsin

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $72,458

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $48,305

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $29,035.10

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,419.59

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $80,653.07

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Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

14. Pennsylvania

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $146,340

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $48,780

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $28,939.76

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,411.65

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $80,388.22

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marchello74 / Getty Images/iStockphoto
marchello74 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

13. Illinois

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $156,866

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $52,289

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $28,922.84

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,410.24

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $80,341.21

f11photo / Getty Images/iStockphoto
f11photo / Getty Images/iStockphoto

12. Missouri

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $131,840

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $43,947

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $28,555.05

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,379.59

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $79,319.58

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

11. Kentucky

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $120,366

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $40,122

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $28,354.41

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,362.87

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $78,762.26

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Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

10. Alabama

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $119,218

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $39,739

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $28,301.91

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,358.49

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $78,616.41

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto
DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

9. North Dakota

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $147,918

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $49,306

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $28,263.16

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,355.26

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $78,508.77

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

8. Kansas

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $139,494

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $46,498

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $28,160.94

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,346.74

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $78,224.83

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Davel5957 / Getty Images
Davel5957 / Getty Images

7. Oklahoma

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $122,728

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $40,909

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $27,384.63

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,282.05

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $76,068.43

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

6. Arkansas

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $112,670

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $37,557

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $27,299.93

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,274.99

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $75,833.13

pabradyphoto / Getty Images
pabradyphoto / Getty Images

5. Iowa

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $141,142

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $47,047

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $26,705.01

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,225.42

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $74,180.57

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DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

4. Indiana

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $134,346

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $44,782

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $25,310.99

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,109.25

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $70,308.31

SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto
SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

3. Mississippi

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $105,970

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $35,323

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $24,924.40

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,077.03

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $69,234.45

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

2. Ohio

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $133,980

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $44,660

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $24,410.21

  • Average Monthly Costs: $2,034.18

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $67,806.15

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Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

1. West Virginia

  • High End of Middle Class Income: $110,434

  • Low End of Middle Class Income: $36,811

  • Total Debt Annual Cost: $22,703.48

  • Average Monthly Costs: $1,891.96

  • Annual Income Needed To Be Middle Class: $63,065.24

Heather Taylor contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: In order to find the states with the most affordable states for middle class, GOBankingRates analyzed all 50 states across multiple factors including; [1] average credit card balance by state sourced from LendingTree and multiplied by 1% to find the minimum credit card payments as 1% is the typical minimum payments required for most major credit card companies, [2] average single family residence home value for December 2023 as sourced from Zillow Home Value Index and using 10% as the down payment and using the [3] Federal Reserve Economic Data for 30-year national average mortgage the average monthly mortgage costs can be calculated, [4] average car insurance rates by state and recording the minimum payment required as sourced from CarInsurance.com, the [5] average student loan payments by state as sourced from LendEDU, and [6] median home income as sourced from the US Census American Community Survey. The monthly debt costs were summed and multiplied by 12 to find the annual total cost of debts. GOBankingRates then found the annual income needed to be considered middle class by calculating debt payments as a maximum of 36% of income, as that is the upper threshold recommended by financial advisors. All data was collected and is up-to-date as-of February 15th, 2024.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 15 Most Affordable States for the Middle Class