It takes a lofty annual income to be considered upper class, so exactly how much do you need to earn to be “rich”?

» RELATED: How much you must earn to be in the top 1 percent in Georgia

Many Americans believe having about $2.4 million in the bank makes you wealthy, according to a Charles Schwab survey. However, the Pew Research Center reports upper class households have incomes more than double the median, which is $61,372 nationally. That means upper class households rake in more than $122,744.

That number isn’t the same in every city, though.

The household median income for metro Atlantans is $54,802, according to the 2017 American Community Survey, an annual U.S. Census Bureau study that examines economic data among Americans. Therefore, you need to earn more than $109,604 to be considered "rich" in the metro area.

The figure is more than $10,000 less than the national threshold.

Want to know more about income changes across the country? Take a look at the full American Community Survey here.

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez