American singles now expect partners to earn six figures, with women setting the bar at $172,000 a year

Dating has always involved a certain amount of calculation. In 2026, some American singles are putting an actual dollar figure on it.

Charm still matters. So does chemistry. But somewhere between the first drink and the soft launch, another question has entered the equation: How much do you make?

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According to a Northwestern Mutual study , millennials ages 30 to 45 had the highest income expectations for a potential partner, putting the ideal salary at $160,000 a year. Gen Z wasn't exactly modest either, naming $135,000 as its preferred figure.

Both generations put their ideal partner comfortably into six-figure territory suggesting that, for some singles, a high income may be becoming less of a bonus and more of a requirement.

Tom Murray, an assistant professor at Grand View University, certified financial therapist and sex therapist, says that may be because people aren't just evaluating whether someone makes a good partner today. They're imagining what life with that person could look like years down the road.

"For a portion of the population, they want to imagine a future that is free of the financial stressors that they're experiencing today," Murray told Moneywise."Consequently, some assume that a six-figure income guarantees a life of little stress."

For younger Americans, talking about money is becoming a bigger part of figuring out whether a relationship has long-term potential.

And salary isn't the only financial consideration creeping earlier into relationships. In another Northwestern Mutual study, conducted by The Harris Poll , found younger generations are having financial conversations with their partners earlier and some place financial compatibility ahead of emotional chemistry, physical attraction or shared interests.

There's also a noticeable divide in what men and women say they would ideally like a partner to earn. Women put that number at about $172,000 a year, compared with $101,000 for men.

Those expectations don't exist in a vacuum. Women still earn less than men on average. Pew Research Center found that in 2024 , women earned about 85 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gap that has narrowed only modestly over the past two decades.