What income do you need to be middle class? In SF I say > a quarter mil.
There is no more middle class.
That said... yeah 250K per year sounds about right. Can make house payment on that, but you won't be 'rich'.
Pre-COVID numbers:
The poverty guidelines are sometimes referred to as the “federal poverty level” or the “poverty line,” but these terms can be misleading because there are many potential meanings. The “
San Francisco poverty line” may refer to the federal poverty guidelines, or to
local income limits for eligibility in housing programs supported by the SF Housing Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These limits are based on the area’s median income (AMI), unlike the thresholds and guidelines. For example,
HUD defined “Low Income Limits” in San Francisco as $82,200 for an individual and $117,400 for a family of four in 2018, based on 80% of the area’s median income. However, the federal
poverty guidelines in 2018 were only $12,140 for an individual and $25,100 for a family of four.
102750$ in 2018 for an individual was the area median income, if I read that correctly. 82200 is 80% of the AMI in 2018. So double that and then pile on a bunch because shit was way cheaper in 2018 than it is now and I'd guess that 250K is 'middle class'. You won't be able to buy in SeaCliff, but you could afford something in the Richmond or Sunset, maybe in that monstrosity of landfill by the ball park too.