S/O What is middle class?

[WVMomof3]

I know this has been discussed before, but I found this tool useful in that it asks where you live and household size. Where do you fit in? Do you agree with your status? I fall in middle class here, some of the other tables I found put us in Upper class, I definitely feel more middle than upper! While I live in a poor state, I live in a border city that is more comparable to the other states.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/05/11/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class/

 

[havaneselover]

I don't buy that 20% of the country is upper class.

 

[DLgal]

Middle because of high COL. Seems right.

 

[tink1970]

Thanks for the link. I found it interesting to use

 

[TwoMisfits]

Okay, so I am what I thought I am - middle class...that's a fun site!

 

[Hikergirl]

Middle because of high COL. Seems right.

Same here

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

That's a really interesting little tool. Thanks for sharing!

 

[loves to dive]

interesting. Show me in the middle class of my area but it's probably off since I live in a college town where income can range big time

 

[dhardawa]

Middle because I'm a single mom, so only one income.

 

[Bree]

I don't buy that 20% of the country is upper class.

According to that calculator site it states that the average upper class salary is anything over $125K.

Upper class here in south Florida for a family of 4 begins at $151K.

 

[tvguy]

Middle here, along with 49% of my neighbors.

 

[supersnoop]

I don't buy that 20% of the country is upper class.

How big do you think the "middle" really is? 60% being the middle, with "rich" and "poor" being 20% on either end seems to be the standard distribution.

 

[DLgal]

I don't buy that 20% of the country is upper class.

I do. Easily. The cutoff of $125,000 is not that high of an income. My husband makes more than that as an officer in the military. We would be "upper class" if we didn't live in the city we do (where the median income is $93,000 and the median home price is $625,000).

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I am really amazed that I can be on a disability pension as my parents are very upper class.

 

[MillauFr]

I don't buy that 20% of the country is upper class.

Why isn't it divided by thirds? Bottom 33%, lower class, Next 33%, middle class, Top 33% upper class?

My wife keeps saying that our family is middle class but I argue how can we be when we are in the top 10% income bracket?

 

[MillauFr]

Most people in our neighborhood says they are middle class because the houses are modest 2 and 3 bedroom bungalows. I say hogwash you are upper class if you own a house. The prices here are outrageous...

A house a few blocks away from me sold 3 years ago for $2 million.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sa...-122.317414,47.676116,-122.319396_rect/18_zm/

 

[wendow]

We are middle class, along with 53% of our closest neighbors.

 

[havaneselover]

Why isn't it divided by thirds? Bottom 33%, lower class, Next 33%, middle class, Top 33% upper class?

My wife keeps saying that our family is middle class but I argue how can we be when we are in the top 10% income bracket?

I'm not sure. But I always think the middle class is about 80%+ of the population with the top of that being the upper middle class.

I think of the upper class as driving luxury cars with no payments, fully paying for their children's college, etc.

I think income alone does not tell the full story. Wealth is a big part of which class you belong to.

 

[havaneselover]

I do. Easily. The cutoff of $125,000 is not that high of an income. My husband makes more than that as an officer in the military. We would be "upper class" if we didn't live in the city we do (where the median income is $93,000 and the median home price is $625,000).

It's clearly subjective. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC. Everyone I knew would be considered upper class by this definition. They were not IMO. Upper class is a very small segment of society in my opinion.

 

[havaneselover]

How big do you think the "middle" really is? 60% being the middle, with "rich" and "poor" being 20% on either end seems to be the standard distribution.

It's not about a statistical distribution to me--it's about how the term has been used historically. I guess what this calculator calls upper class I mainly consider upper middle class.