Most of the people like to classify themselves as middle class these days. What exactly is middle class? What is range of family income for middle class families? Does it go from 35000 to 135000? What percentage of families are in this middle class range?
I better look up the word "defination". I think it might fluctuate with the times and with the income ranges. Basically, the basics say that Middle Class is anyone without top governmental and hierarchical positions... I guess anyone who is not a CEO or a CIO? I don't know.
My def: You can pay for the necessities of life... food, shelter, clothing, a vehicle... and some of the niceties... like insurance, health care, dental work, etc.... and you can afford some of the extravagances of modern life like Sat TV, electric car windows, a vacation, college for your kids. Yet you are one illness, injury or 2-3 paychecks (or a depression) from dropping back to just the necessities or relying on your parents or others to support you. Repubs (or at least the ones who now control the party) have done a great job over the last 40 years convincing a large swath of middle class that they are superior to the lower class because they have the accoutrements of wealth... a big foyer, big bathroom, nice car... but most have much more in common with the lower class than the richest in our society. I guess part of the appeal is that hope that you can one day be rich, so best to start acting like one now.
wikipedia: Colloquially, the term is often applied to people who have a degree of economic independence, but not a great deal of social influence or power in their society.
$35,000-70,000..........lower middle class is slightly below and upper middle class is slightly above. The number is debatable but generally this is the average middle class rate.
That's somewhat on cue with the ranges, facelingO, but I think it has to do with the social status and the relevance of the position of employment. Think drug dealers. They're earning so much dough, but are still low class. Or... hookers, maybe?
There are a lot of factors. Family size, life style choices, etc. That was just the "generic avgerage" trying to exclude variables. Shawn Kemp might be middle class with 30 kids to feed, so it's all realitive.
So you are telling me if a family has more than 70k income per year, they would be in the uppder middle class? No way that number can be correct? Is it really that low?
Not sure, I think upper class is 4%, 60% is middle. It's hard to come up with a percent for the rest because of the discrepancy of $ range. I believe those two are fairly accurate though.
I'm basing it off of a single person with no other income or family to support. You also have to factor in duel incomes etc
What blows my mind is that if you make 200K a year, you are in the upper 2% of America.....or world-wide, you are in the richest .5%. God bless America.
http://www.allegromedia.com/sugi/taxes/ Numbers are a little old, but still in range. Look at average pre-tax family income Oh- wait I found some better numbers here : http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/datazone_dznational Mean family income by quintile and top 5%, 1966-2003 (2003 dollars) Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest Top 5 fifth fifth fifth fifth fifth percent 2001 14,570 33,738 53,557 79,649 165,898 291,294 2002 14,338 33,266 53,057 78,912 162,947 285,177 2003 13,871 32,896 53,016 79,713 163,322 281,467 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census.
