What the Six Figure Club Means in 2024
The six figure club refers to households and individuals with annual gross income between $100,000 and $999,999, a range tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Internal Revenue Service. The most recent available public data from the Census Bureau's 2023 Current Population Survey and the IRS Statistics of Income show that roughly 33% of U.S. households and about 17% of tax filers report six-figure earnings, with the median household income at approximately $75,000, placing six-figure earners above the midpoint of the distribution Census Bureau income data.
For individuals, the six figure club threshold starts at $100,000 in taxable or gross wages, salaries, and self-employment income, while the upper bound stops at $999,999 before the seven-figure range begins. The IRS Individual Income Tax Returns data for tax year 2022, the latest fully processed year, show that about 17.5% of returns reported adjusted gross income of $100,000 or more, with the bulk concentrated between $100,000 and $250,000 IRS SOI statistics.
Who Is in the Six Figure Club by Industry and Role
Technology, finance, healthcare, and engineering roles dominate the six figure club, with software engineers, data scientists, and senior managers frequently reporting base pay plus bonuses above $100,000 in major metros. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2023 show that computer and information technology occupations have a median annual wage above $100,000, while management occupations cluster around the same threshold, and roles such as financial managers and nurse practitioners routinely exceed it BLS occupational wages.
Company-level data also illustrate the concentration of six-figure pay in specific firms, with public filings from Tesla and SpaceX showing that many salaried employees and executives fall within the six figure club, while the majority of hourly production roles remain below that line. Tesla's 2023 annual report and SpaceX's 2023 SEC filings highlight that total compensation for engineers, senior technicians, and corporate staff often reaches six figures when combining base salary, equity grants, and bonuses SEC Tesla filing.
How the Six Figure Club Compares Across Geography and Demographics
Geographic variation is stark, with states such as California, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington showing the highest shares of six-figure households, driven by concentration of tech, finance, and professional services sectors. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 median household income estimates by state show that in several major metropolitan areas, more than half of households cross the six figure threshold, while rural regions in the South and Midwest report shares well below the national average