Analyzing the Claim That $250,000 Is A Lower Middle Class Salary in New York City

Over on Alas, one of our resident conservatives recently argued that it's not fair to raise taxes on people who earn over $250,000 because, while someone who earns $250,000 in rural Mississipi is very wealthy, someone who earns the same in Manhattan is lower middle class.

I decided to look up some numbers to analyze his claim. Assuming the numbers I've found are accurate, the median salary in New York City according to the bureau of labor statistics was approximately $50,000.*

Does that go up a...