Some people earn too little to ever stop thinking about money. Others earn so much that they rarely have to. Most of us live somewhere in between: the teacher wondering if they’ll ever own a home, the small business owner with good months and bad ones, the salaried professional with a six-figure title but a five-figure cushion, even the multimillionaire questioning why wealth still doesn’t feel like freedom. People across every income level who earn well but still wonder if they’re actually wealthy.

That question (Am I rich?) might sound self-indulgent. But it’s increasingly common across racial lines, tax brackets, and career paths. And for many people, particularly those carrying financial responsibility for others, the answer is complicated.

The Prosperity Paradox

On paper, you might be earning more than you ever imagined. Maybe you’ve reached a steady middle-class salary, broken into six figures, or you’re still climbing but making progress. A few years in, a few promotions later, and you’re ahead of where you started.

But your day-to-day reality tells a different story. Your stress levels are high, and your time feels stretched. You’re making it work, but not without strain.

More than half of Americans earning six figures report living paycheck to paycheck. Even among middle-and upper-income households, concerns about housing, healthcare, debt, and inflation persist. Financial security feels more conditional than guaranteed.

You might not feel poor, but rich doesn’t quite fit either. This tension is becoming increasingly common, what some now describe as money dysmorphia: the growing disconnect between what you earn and how financially secure you actually feel.

How Rich Is “Rich,” Anyway?

That depends on where you live and how you define wealth.

According to Charles Schwab’s 2024 Modern Wealth Survey, the average American believes it takes a net worth of $2.5 million to be considered rich. That’s up from $2.2 million in 2023 and 2022, and a significant jump from pandemic-era estimates closer to $1.5M.

What’s changed? A few things:

• Cost of living has skyrocketed in metro areas
• Wealth benchmarks now include real estate, equity, retirement accounts, and generational assets
• Social media has widened our exposure to lifestyles well beyond our means
• And for many people, making it still comes with the pressure of “carrying it”, thanks to familial and  communal responsibility.

In other words, wealth isn’t just about income. It’s about time. Flexibility. Optionality. Who you answer to. Who you take care of. Who takes care of you.

What The Math Says (And What It Leaves Out)

Statistically speaking, a household income of:

• $50,000 puts you near the median in many areas
• $75,000 gets you into comfortable middle-class territory
• $100,000 places you in the top 25% nationally
• $150,000 puts you in the top 15% of earners nationally
• $200,000 places you near the top 10%
• $300,000+ nudges you toward the top 5%

But what those numbers buy varies wildly by region and circumstances. A $75K salary in Cleveland might feel spacious. That same income in San Francisco could feel compressed. A teacher making $50K in rural Kansas might have more breathing room than a consultant making $120K in Manhattan. Throw in childcare, elder care, student loans, or medical expenses, and suddenly any salary can feel stretched thin.

Even adjusted for cost of living, income doesn’t tell the full story. Not when wealth is about access, ownership, and peace.

So… What Is Wealth?

For some, it’s a number in the bank. For others, it’s being able to take a sabbatical. It’s turning down bad clients. It’s covering a parent’s medical bill without blinking. It’s owning time, not renting it. 

In the AfroTech Insider community, where conversations about income, ownership, and alignment run deep, definitions of wealth vary, but certain themes repeat:

• Freedom: to move how you want, when you want.
• Positioning: knowing your next opportunity is never your only one.
• Alignment: not just with what you’re building, but who you’re building it with.
• Infrastructure: tools, relationships, strategy … not just hustle.

Many describe it this way: Wealth feels like being able to walk away from anything that no longer aligns and know you’re still going to be okay.

Income ≠ Infrastructure

Plenty of earners at every level stay stuck in a cycle of grind, upgrade, repeat.

You get a raise, so you upgrade your zip code. Your car. Your wardrobe. Your giving. Maybe your dating pool. But unless you’re building a structure beneath the surface (investments, systems, guidance, community) income doesn’t translate to lasting power.

That’s where so many people stall. Not from lack of effort, but from a lack of strategy.

That’s also where wealth gets built: in the systems, not the symbols. And for many, that gap between income and clarity is exactly where money dysmorphia takes root, when you’re doing everything “right,” but wealth still doesn’t feel real.

The Weight Of Winning

If you’re first-gen, or the first in your circle to break into a higher income bracket, or if you’re carrying financial responsibility for others, the emotional math is even more complex.

You’re not just building for you. You’re anchoring a lineage. You’re the emergency fund, the college fund, the backup plan. You carry success with pride, but also pressure. And sometimes, that pressure cancels out the peace.

In that context, wealth isn’t just the number. It’s the relief, the clarity, the breathing room that comes from not having to be everything for everyone.

You need space to think, not just survive. You need a structure that holds you, not just titles that impress others. You need a community that reflects where you are, and who you’re becoming.

Where Real Wealth Starts

It might be in that first financial advisor call you finally scheduled. It might be in declining a role that didn’t align with your values. It might be in joining a private community where your questions aren’t met with judgment, but strategy.

For many, it starts with reframing the goal.

Not just earning more, but building something that lasts. Not just getting to the next level, but feeling free at the one you’re at.

That’s what separates those who earn from those who build wealth:

• Strategic thinking that centers your voice and values.
• Relationships with people who move in rooms you haven’t entered yet.
• Communities where transparency lives and introductions happen.
• Access to mentors, advisors, and operators invested in your growth.
• Tools that translate success into stability, and stability into sovereignty

That’s what AfroTech Insider offers; not promises, but power, and that looks like this :

• Executive coaching that centers your voice
• Private strategy calls with leaders who move in rooms you haven’t entered yet
• Private dinners and roundtables where transparency lives and introductions happen
• Access to founders, funders, and operators invested in your growth
• Tools that translate success into stability, and stability into sovereignty

Are You Rich?

Maybe.

Maybe not yet.

But if you’re asking, you’re already doing something most people don’t: You’re paying attention. You’re reflecting. You’re ready to build with intention.

And that? That’s where the real wealth begins.

Join Insider+ today and turn your success into something that lasts.