Rising costs make traditional milestones like homes, kids, and cars harder for middle-income families to reach. Geography now defines middle-class life as much as income does. Shrinking middle class ...

A gap of at least $40,000 sits between the high end of the middle class and the low end of the top 5%, according to a new study from GOBankingRates.

That said, the shifts in middle-class household income requirements have not been the same in every state. In some states, the household income range of the middle class hasn’t increased quite as much ...