That's a weird claim for people to make. $100K for an individual is pretty high compared to the rest of the country! Other commenters are suggesting that it is

That's a weird claim for people to make. $100K for an individual is pretty high compared to the rest of the country! Other commenters are suggesting that it is actually the upper bound for middle class. I wonder if people are actually answering a different question: whether they personally feel middle class. Where you live will greatly affect this; there's a HUGE difference between $100K in SF vs Pittsburgh.