If you want to take home $100,000 annually in the states where the cost of living is considerably lower than more expensive regions of the United States, you still need to earn a substantial amount of money — hitting a minimum threshold of $130,000 — to bring home six figures.
Find Out: What Is the Estimated Median Income for the Upper-Middle Class in 2025?
Learn More: How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too
For this piece, GOBankingRates referred to an existing in-house study on how much the top 1% pay in taxes in the poorest states to determine which states are the poorest. The isolated states, and the salaries needed for $100,000 take-home pay, were pulled from a separate GOBankingRates study on the income needed in each state for taking home $100,000.
In alphabetical order, this is how much salary is necessary to take home $100,000 in the 15 poorest states.
Alabama
Salary needed for $100K: $139,188
Tax burden: 28.2%
Read Next: Here’s the Minimum Net Worth To Be Considered Upper Class in Your 50s
See More: What Salary Single People Need To Live Comfortably in 100 Major US Cities
Trending Now: Suze Orman’s Secret to a Wealthy Retirement–Have You Made This Money Move?
Arkansas
Salary needed for $100K: $139,054
Tax burden: 28.1%
For You: Here’s the Minimum Salary Required To Be Considered Upper-Middle Class in 2025
Georgia
Salary needed for $100K: $141,187
Tax burden: 29.2%
Kentucky
Salary needed for $100K: $138,944
Tax burden: 28.0%
Louisiana
Salary needed for $100K: $136,927
Tax burden: 27.0%
Discover More: Salary Needed To Achieve the American Dream in the 50 Largest Cities
Michigan
Salary needed for $100K: $139,313
Tax burden: 28.2%
Mississippi
Salary needed for $100K: $139,321
Tax burden: 28.2%
New Mexico
Salary needed for $100K: $139,547
Tax burden: 28.3%
Try This: 9 Things the Middle Class Should Consider Downsizing To Save on Monthly Expenses
North Carolina
Salary needed for $100K: $139,333
Tax burden: 28.2%
Ohio
Salary needed for $100K: $136,911
Tax burden: 27.0%
Oklahoma
Salary needed for $100K: $139,830
Tax burden: 28.5%
Trending Now: How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper Middle Class in Every State
South Carolina
Salary needed for $100K: $141,429
Tax burden: 29.3%
Tennessee
Salary needed for $100K: $130,999
Tax burden: 23.7%
Texas
Salary needed for $100K: $130,999
Tax burden: 23.7%
Explore Next: Here’s the Minimum Salary Required To Be Considered Upper Class in 2025
West Virginia
Salary needed for $100K: $139,656
Tax burden: 28.4%
Methodology: To generate the income for what it takes to bring home a $100,000 salary by state, GOBankingRates surveyed income taxes at both the federal and state level (including FICA). Income tax estimates were created by using an in-house calculator for a person who was filing their taxes as a single person and using the standard deduction (with 2024 tax brackets). Once the three income taxes were calculated as an annual amount, GOBankingRates found each state’s (4) total annual income taxes paid and (5) total income tax burden. All data was collected on and is up to date as of March 12, 2025.
More From GOBankingRates
I’m a Realtor: This Is Why No One Wants To See Your Home
3 Things Retirees Should Stop Buying To Save Money Amid Tariffs
How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too
7 Wealth-Building Shortcuts Proven To Add $1K to Your Wallet This Month
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s the Salary Needed To Take Home $100K in the Poorest States
