I think taking about financials in general terms for a place as large and as diverse as the US is a mood exercise. As the article describes the same amount of m

I think taking about financials in general terms for a place as large and as diverse as the US is a mood exercise. As the article describes the same amount of money means very different things in different parts of the US. Defining middle class by looking at the median household income is entirely meaningless for all the reasons the article describes. Many people here also have the instinct to immediately suggest to move to a place that's meant to be flown over because cost of living is lower there. The issue is that both cost and income scale to a large degree proportionally to each other. This article likely could have been titled "why middle class life now cost $40k" and be about personal finance in Baton Rouge. The real news is that $300k on one place are the equivalent of $40k in another.