We all know it’s expensive to live in Arlington. Here’s a metric that gives that statement even more gravitas: Arlington has the highest-earning middle class of any major U.S. city, according to a new study by Consumer Affairs, a for-profit provider of consumer research and analysis.
To sustain a middle-class lifestyle in 2023, an Arlington family of four needed to pull in a household income between $170,004 and $283,340.
By comparison, the statewide average for the Commonwealth of Virginia was $87,280 to $145,467. And the national average capped out at $125,375, according to the ranking, which analysts tabulated using a calculator provided by the Pew Research Center and an inflation calculator provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While middle class incomes are rising—salaries grew 21% between 2019 and 2023—those gains have been eclipsed by living expenses. The number of Americans considered “middle class” is shrinking as rising costs outpace worker pay. Inflation and higher prices for essentials such as housing and food are making it harder to maintain middle class status.
In Arlington, wages have increased an average of about $42,000 since 2019, according to the analysis of America’s 100 most populous cities. Arlington’s abundance of college-educated workers, federal employees and government contractors helped to push incomes up in 2023.
Second on the list was Seattle, Washington—home to some of the nation’s largest and most recognizable brands, including Amazon, Costco, Microsoft and Starbucks—with a middle class income range of $154,000 to $256,000 per year. Irvine, California, just south of Los Angeles ranked third, with a range of $150,000 to $250,000 per year.
Washington, D.C., was fourth on the list with a middle-class income range of $148,000 to $246,000. Like Arlington, the nation’s capital is bolstered by well-paid federal workers and one of the highest minimum wages in the country: $17 per hour. This raises the floor for even the lowest-paying jobs much higher than other cities across the country.
San Jose, California, in Silicon Valley, nation’s tech hub, rounded out the top 5 with a range of about $148,000 to $246,000 per year.
The study found great variation between cities. In some cases, maintaining the same income and moving a few hundred miles away meant the difference between living a lower middle class lifestyle or earning well above other middle-class workers in your area.
It is generally becoming more expensive to be considered middle-class in most places. Income inequality locks many out of achieving the American dream.
Rising housing costs and the dearth of entry-level starter homes has become a source of great debate in Arlington. A September court ruling struck down the county’s Expanded Housing Option ordinance, often referred to as Missing Middle zoning, which some had hoped would create more opportunities for affordable homeownership in the county.
The controversial zoning ordinance would have allowed contractors to build a greater diversity of housing, such as duplexes, triplexes and multiplexes of up to six dwelling units on single family lots. The county board has voted to appeal the ruling. It may be about a year before the case goes to the Virginia Court of Appeals.