You Have An 'Upper Class' Salary In Colorado If You Hit This Number

In general, you count as "upper class" when you make more than twice your area's typical household income. In Colorado, SmartAsset puts that paycheck at about $92,911 for 2025. Do the quick math — double it — and you land around $185,000. So if your household brings in anything above that mark, you've crossed into Colorado's upper-income tier. Regional differences play a big role in how people see wealth and class. In places like Denver and Boulder, where housing can eat up 30% to 50% of the average household income, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies for Harvard University, the bar for being considered "upper class" is much higher.

But in more rural areas and smaller cities, like Pueblo — where the median household income is $55,305, per the U.S Census Bureau 2019 to 2023 estimates, or Grand Junction, where it is around $66,676, the picture shifts. In those areas, the upper-income threshold ranges from about $111,000 to $134,000, which is well below Colorado's statewide benchmark of $184,940. So depending on your zip code, what looks like upper class in one town might just be average in another. Still, there is a nationally set threshold to be the Upper Class in America.

Colorado's middle-class band stretched from $61,934 to $185,822 as of 2023 per SmartAsset. This is far higher at the top end than the national metro range of $49,478 to $71,359. That same paycheck already lands you in the upper class in lower-cost states like Mississippi or Arkansas. Per the U.S Census Bureau, the median household income in Mississippi is $54,915, which places the upper income line at $109,830. For Arkansas, the median household income is $58,773, making the upper income level $117,546. Now picture a household earning $150,000. In Colorado, that slots it in between middle and upper class.

At the same time, Colorado fares better than high-cost regions like Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Maryland. Going by the 2019 to 2023 data from the U.S Census Bureau, Massachusetts has a median household income of $101,341, which places the upper income level at $202,682. In New Jersey, the median household income is $101,050, which places the upper income level at $202,100. In Maryland, the median household income is $101,652, which puts the upper income level at $203,304. This implies that to hit the "upper class" mark in these states, you will need 35% to 40% more than you will in Colorado.

In Colorado, joining the 1% club — the ultra-wealthy — means hauling in about $876,743 a year, according to Axios, as of December 2024. That is what it takes to leap from "well-off" (upper class) to "elite" (1%). Some households in cities in Colorado are already feeling the squeeze. For instance, Realtor places the median home in Denver at $589,000, in Aspen it is $2,800,000, and in Boulder, it is a $1,100,000 median house price. 

The state takes a 7.8% bite from state and local sales, according to Tax Foundation's states and local tax rates for 2025. It is quite low when compared with the most expensive states to live in. Yet, it drives home just how fluid "class" really is; it is as much about local costs as it is about the numbers on your W-2. Even hitting that upper-class mark doesn't erase money stress. 

Meanwhile, the top 1% — mostly folks in tech, finance, and energy — use stock options and rising asset values to keep widening the gap. In other words, "upper class" is hardly a one-and-done ticket to worry-free wealth. If you want to remain within that range, it begins with managing your spending and wealth.