Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a part of the the top 5% in Tennessee? To rub elbows with the “who’s who” in the state? Sure, who you know might help, but how much money you make plays a vital role.

Researchers from the website, GOBankingRates, found how much money you need to make per year to be considered “rich” in each state. They used a five-year timeline (2017-2022) to determine how the definition of wealth has changed over the years, too.

Each state’s median income, average income of the top 20% earners and average income of the top 5% earners was found along with the five-year change in average income of the top 20% of earners.

In Tennessee, you need to bring in an average yearly income of $418,421 to be identified as “rich.” This number is up almost 30% compared to 2017, when the average was around $323,000.

The study found that the richest of the rich live in our nation’s capital where the average “rich” salary is just over $719,000.

An interesting key finding is that in 2017 only D.C. and Connecticut had an average income of $500,000+ [for the top 5% of earners]. In 2022, it has risen to 12 states.