I saw an interesting story on Good Morning America today. It asked "What do you classify as "middle class"? They were talking about annual household income.

What's your definition of middle class?

I saw an interesting story on Good Morning America today. It asked "What do you classify as "middle class"? They were talking about annual household income.

What's your definition of middle class?

 

I don't know what it is, but I do know that those folks that attack Bush for the decrease in the number of people considered to be in the middle class aren't being intellectually honest. I remember reading a WSJ article that examined those charges and found the decrease is predominantly caused by people moving up to the upper class, not down into lower class. I'll see if I have the article still lying around on my office floor.

example 1: Most factory workers or

example 2: Households in which 2 people have jobs that make less than $40,000 per year. That is the rockcastleraiders definition

example 1: Most factory workers or

example 2: Households in which 2 people have jobs that make less than $40,000 per year. That is the rockcastleraiders definition

 

So a family couple who work at McDonald's and make approx. $30,000/yr is middle class to you?

example 1: Most factory workers or

example 2: Households in which 2 people have jobs that make less than $40,000 per year. That is the rockcastleraiders definition

 

A household with 4 people and total family income of 40,000.00 is middle class. NO WAY

 

 

if you figure that teachers get paid about middle of the road salary - often less - then I would say you need to be around 75 or 80 thousand for a family of four to be middle class.

If you figure middle class as being the average American family, then breaking it down to lower middle class, middle middle class and upper middle class, you cover a lot of people.

 

Not sure about where middle class begins, but I would start out thinking possibly between 30-40,000 for a household of four and go from there. I would have to think about this one.

 

But Ft Mitchell and Ft Thomas for example, residences usually are from the middle middle class to lower upper class, IMO.

I'd say a family of four with a total income of between 40,000-100,000 would span most of the middle class (upper, lower, middle) etc.

This site may help you in determining what middle class is.

http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07poverty.shtml

Too poor to be rich...

 

Too rich to be poor...

 

Enough not to be uncomfortable...

 

Not enough to be comfortable...

Too poor to be rich...

 

Too rich to be poor...

 

Enough not to be uncomfortable...

 

Not enough to be comfortable...

 

I fit all of those categories!

This site may help you in determining what middle class is.

http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07poverty.shtml

 

Not being in poverty doesn't mean you're middle class.

A household with 4 people and total family income of 40,000.00 is middle class. NO WAY

 

 

if you figure that teachers get paid about middle of the road salary - often less - then I would say you need to be around 75 or 80 thousand for a family of four to be middle class.

 

So you are saying that a family of four making between $65-70 thousand a year would not be middle class? Maybe not in NYC, but in Kentucky?

 

If so, then a lot more people grew up lower class than i would have thought. Including myself.

Not being in poverty doesn't mean you're middle class.

I agree. I would call the impoverished the Lower-Lower class. Households with income would be Upper-Lower class. Lower Middle class would go from $40k to $60K. Middle-Middle class from $60K to $90k. Upper middle class from $90k to $175k. The middle class is not the middle third of the population. I'd guess they make up from 60-80% of the population.

This is a great topic, because someone said something the other day in a thread (maybe leatherneck...because I see he alluded to it again in this thread) about people moving up into the upper classes.

 

I'll be honest...I have no idea what middle class is. I know that growing up, we were not middle class. However, we never knew we were poor. We never received aid, we just lived within our means.

 

Now, in my adult life, I'm happy I have those skills, because apparently, I'm not poor, but my "middle class" income certainly isn't at all what I perceive to be the middle class ideal.

 

Apparently, one reason I am considered "middle class" is that by working two jobs, I managed to bump myself up a tax bracket. How's that for screwed! :lol:

I wonder how much geography comes into play? For example, in S.E. Kentucky, $100,000 to $150,000 will buy a really nice home in a very good neighborhood.