What is "middle class"?

[FreeJoe]

I hear the term used all the time, but I never hear it defined. Is someone middle class based on an income range (if so, what range)? Based on net worth (if so, what NW)? Is it based on standard of living? Job type? What makes someone middle class?

[liberal N proud]

1. Which middle class?

There is the upper middle class
The lower middle class
The american middle class
The middle class millionaire

•Middle class is the group of people in contemporary society who are between the working class and upper class. This socioeconomic class includes professionals, highly skilled workers, and lower and middle management

The size of the middle class depends on how it is defined, whether by education, wealth, environment of upbringing, social network, manners or values, etc. These are all related, though far from deterministically dependent. The following factors are often ascribed in modern usage to a "middle class":

Achievement of tertiary education.
Holding professional qualifications, including academics, lawyers, engineers, politicians and doctors regardless of their leisure or wealth.
Belief in bourgeois values, such as high rates of house ownership and jobs which are perceived to be "secure."
Lifestyle. In the United Kingdom, social status has historically been linked less directly to wealth than in the United States, and has also been judged by pointers such as accent, manners, place of education, occupation and the class of a person's family, circle of friends and acquaintances.
Cultural identification. Often in the United States, the middle class are the most eager participants in pop culture whereas the reverse is true in Britain <2>.

Middle America
Middle America suggests a small town or suburb where people are predominantly middle class. The economy of Middle America is traditionally considered agricultural, though most Middle Americans now live in suburban locales, and a person may hold Middle American values while not living geographically in the Midwestern United States, and vice versa. <3> <4> The phrase Middle American values refers to more traditional or conservative politics like family values. There are many people who object to the notion that one group or subgroup of Americans defines its values or defines proper family values.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_class

[willing dwarf]

2. How's this?

If you work to live your probably working class. If you live to work, your probably middle class. If you don't need to work at all, your definitely not middle class.

[boston bean]

3. I'll take "no longer exists" Alex for $500. nt

[Mass]

4. In this country, everyone is middle class, except the very poor and billionaires.

This is the illusion that is maintained artificially in order to keep people from protesting and from asking that taxes be raised on the wealthy.

[raccoon]

8. +1000! nt

[Tony Campbell]

5. good questions

I see it as income based. Even though a movie star could burn through millions a year and spend everything they have, they are still considered upper class (so it would not be net worth). but how much... that is the question... I would go for 250k a year and up. People making below that are probably still making house payments, and student loan payments.

[blindpig]

6. In reality, the professional class

Doctors, lawyers, advanced degree workers, middle and upper management, small entrepreneurs, that sort.

The idea that anyone having a minimally comfortable existence is middle class is one of the great propaganda coups. It is a scam to divide the working class and it has worked like a charm, until now. Now we are seeing the curtain part....

[Tsar_Bomba]

7. Great question!

Definitely income related but the standard of living changes from where one lives and number of dependents. That said it seems to me representation by government is unfairly skewed toward the very vocal "Joe the Plumber" crowd. You know who they are. Living in McMansions with kids in private schools no better than the public schools, expensive cars and electronics, all on easy credit and still not able to pay their bills. These are slightly better off than average working individuals, mostly conservative who may own a small business in "right to work states" and have taken advantage of "Reaganomics" to hire employees at substandard pay rates. During the Bush years they have grown complacent and handle their own finances poorly, made poor investments in real estate and the stock market, yet still survive because they know they can squeeze their employees even more by threatening them with job cuts. While they enjoy all the government perks of tax credits, bankruptcy and easy credit (before the economic collapse), a bloated military to keep them from wetting their beds because of 9/11, they have the balls to cry taxes are too high.

Our local state government has used redistricting to herd these individuals into safe Republican districts, their only job is to keep the status quo. Meanwhile the poorer districts contain the unwanted, retirees, minorities, illegals. These are the poorest of the poor, and are too busy working to complain and go on teabag parties. Usually these districts have corrupt politicians elected, over the stupidest of issues and keep getting reelected because there is no hope of finding someone better.

Many individuals complain our problems are caused by the extremely wealthy, that may be true, but there is plenty of blame to go around.

[WeCanWorkItOut]

9. Middle class: below the top 5%. Sorry, Lou Dobbs, doctors are not middle class

Nor are many lawyers.
According to wiki, <5% means less than $167,000.

I understand that a quarter of a million may not seem like much
compared to what a few journalists, CEOs and patent-holders are taking in.
The three-quarters of million many medical specialists take home
does not mean their life is as easy as Bill Gates'.
The upper class is not homogeneous.

But one of the big problems making America more unequal is
the excess power of certain professional lobbies,
with a lot of help from the relatives and admirers of said professionals.
And there's the problem of all those people yearning to give their children
security, by getting them into a really good, safe upper class job,
in a profession with monopoly power.
And often they (like Lou Dobbs) try to preserve the power, by calling it middle class.

This is an abuse, because they get their security by hurting other Americans,
making other Americans overpay or do without.

And too often we have politicians using the phrase "middle class tax-cut"
as a reason to take from truck-drivers and give to young lawyers.
It makes America more unequal, and it's wrong.

[Odin2005]

10. A mythical catagory used so as not to use the term "poor".

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Here you go. A new government report , "Middle Class in America".

http://www.commerce.gov/s/groups/public/@doc/@os/@opa/documents/content/prod01_008833.pdf


I define it as the middle 60% based on income. The last 20% is the poor and the top 20% the rich.