Dreamframer/Getty Images
Audio By Carbonatix
What does it mean to have a comfortable lifestyle in the Valley? Maybe it means not worrying about the weekly grocery bill or a surprise car repair. Maybe it means fretlessly tapping that credit card for discretionary expenses like movies, concert tickets and wine tastings.
Statistically, though, one can assign numbers to those anecdotal data points. Being “upper-middle class” generally means making between 1.5 and two times the median household income for a certain area. And in the Phoenix area, the number at the end of that calculation varies widely depending on where you live.
In certain scenic neighborhoods, being upper-middle class could translate to bringing in nearly half a million dollars every year. In other Valley cities, that could mean bringing in four times less than that.
Statewide, Arizona falls squarely in with the rest of the pack compared to the rest of the country. According to a study by MoneyLion that analyzed U.S. Census data from the 2024 1-year American Community Survey, to be considered upper-middle class in Arizona, households must make between $126,756 and $162,972 a year, which is similar to states like Idaho, Vermont and Illinois. The richest upper-middle-class residents are in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland, with the high end of upper-middle-class sitting at more than $200,000 a year.
Using MoneyLion’s calculations, Phoenix New Times also analyzed what it means to be upper-middle class in the 10 biggest cities in the Valley. Here’s how Phoenix and its surrounding communities stack up — and, by extension, how you do, too. All numbers represent household income, not individual income levels.
10. Glendale
Upper-middle class range: $117,773 to $151,422
Bottom end of middle class: $50,499
Median household income: $75,711
Nearly 260,000 people live in this West Valley city. It’s home to State Farm Stadium, a historic downtown and nearly 95,000 households. Despite its proximity to Phoenix, it’s one of the cheapest suburbs in the Valley.
9. Tempe
Upper-middle class range: $121,340 to $156,008
Bottom end of middle class: $52,029
Median household income: $78,004
This East Valley suburb is home to more than 190,000 people and Arizona State University. A lot of students roam the Tempe area, which features ASU’s massive campus, several sports facilities and Mill Avenue. To the south, traditional, older single-family homes and neighborhoods are more common.
8. Phoenix
Upper-middle class range: $132,605 to $170,492
Bottom end of middle class: $56,859
Median household income: $85,246
The Valley’s anchor city is easily the most diverse in the area. Spanning a whopping 518.3 square miles, it’s the fifth-largest city in the nation, with more than 1,673,000 residents calling it home.
7. Mesa
Upper-middle class range: $133,124 to $171,160
Bottom end of middle class: $57,082
Median household income: $85,580
This East Valley city is the largest of Phoenix’s suburbs, with more than 517,000 residents. Spanning 141.4 square miles, it features urban communities around downtown Mesa in the west and more suburban and even rural communities at the base of the Superstition Mountains in the east.
6. Peoria
Upper-middle class range: $151,407 to $194,66
Bottom end of middle class: $64,921
Median household income: $97,333
This north-west Phoenix suburb’s nearly 200,000 residents live in many mountainous neighborhoods.
5. Surprise
Upper-middle class range: $156,837 to $201,648
Bottom end of middle class: $67,250
Median household income: $100,824
Bordering Peoria, this West Valley suburb has more than 167,000 residents across a 110.5-square-mile area. It’s recently been the focus of intense news coverage after Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased a warehouse in the city to convert to a detention facility.
4. Scottsdale
Upper-middle class range: $163,167 to $209,786
Bottom end of middle class: $69,964
Median household income: $104,893
Known for its influx of millionaire residents, high-end shopping and Disneyland-like bar scene, Scottsdale’s rich reputation often precedes itself.
3. Chandler
Upper-middle class range: $171,553 to $220,568
Bottom end of middle class: $73,559
Median household income: $110,284
This East Valley suburb is home to more than 281,000 residents across 65.6 square miles. It’s filled with many high-end suburban neighborhoods and single-family homes that go far beyond the traditional starter home.
2. Gilbert
Upper-middle class range: $194,395 to $249,936
Bottom end of middle class: $83,354
Median household income: $124,968
Chandler’s neighbor to the east brings much of the same energy as its neighbor. It has a similar population and size, while being littered with high-end neighborhoods.
1. Paradise Valley
Upper-middle class range: $384,470 to $494,318
Bottom end of middle class: $164,855
Median household income: $247,159
This scenic enclave for the rich, contained in Phoenix Mountain Preserve’s Mummy Mountain, blows the rest of the Valley’s upper-middle-class population out of the water. The 15.4-square-mile area is home to only 12,611 residents, but 57% of them make more than $200,000 a year. Frankly, “upper-middle class” is not the right word here.
