Six-Figure Salary Once Meant “You Made It” — Now It Means “You Might Afford Groceries, If You Skip Therapy”

Six-Figure Salary Once Meant “You Made It” — Now It Means “You Might Afford Groceries, If You Skip Therapy”

Once upon a time, making $100K meant you were living the dream: big house, luxury car, maybe even a fridge that makes crushed ice. Fast forward to now, and that same six-figure salary barely qualifies as "middle class" — and that’s according to the U.S. Census, not just your group chat.

In some states, households making nearly $200,000 aren't even considered upper class anymore. That’s not a typo — that’s America’s new economic horror genre: The Vanishing Middle Class.

What happened? Welcome to the world of HENRYs — High Earners, Not Rich Yet. They’ve got the paycheck, the credentials, and the crushing anxiety of someone who realizes that earning six figures just buys a front-row seat to financial stress.

More than half of these HENRYs are now living paycheck to paycheck. You heard that right — folks earning enough to theoretically buy a boat can’t afford surprise dental work.

And no, it's not just about inflation or stagnant wages — though those are the opening acts. The main headliner? Lifestyle inflation and hedonic adaptation — the psychological treadmill that ensures “enough” is always one Amazon Prime order away.

Here’s the kicker: even if someone is technically doing “well,” it doesn’t feel that way — because wealth is relative. If you make $100K but everyone around you makes $200K, congratulations: you’re now poor with a leather interior.

Meanwhile, the cost of classic middle-class benchmarks — a house, a degree, healthcare, or just functioning air conditioning — has gone full “luxury item.” So now, making $100K buys you existential dread, comparison-induced shame, and maybe a mid-tier streaming service.

The result? A nation of professionals grinding harder than ever, spiraling in status anxiety, quietly burning out while pretending everything’s fine.

Moral of the story? America didn't just move the goalpost — it turned it into a subscription model