What is your definition of middle class?

[m3racer]

What annual gross income qualifies one to be in the "middle class of America"?

[sweeps]

$30,000 to $150,000.

[m3racer]

How did you come up with this range?

[sweeps]

Purely opinion. There is no right answer.

[honeichild]

Yeah I definitely depends on where you live. Because in some cities making 30grand a year is nothing.

I always consider folks who have college degrees middle class.

[Sporkman]

IMO, middle class = having to work for a living, but not an excessive amount (i.e. you get weekends), and being able to afford a house & other amenities like a car, nice appliances, the occasional vacation, etc.

[NumberCruncher]

35K-65K when you consider states (MS = low; NJ = high)...within states there is quite a variance. I would say middle class can range from 30K - 150K...rural town USA to NYC...purely speculative on my part.

[Exile]

It's a matter of values, such as thrift, ability to defer gratification in the short term in order to seriously plan for the long haul, and a high regard for formal education. One can have a blue collar job, but have these traits and thus be considered middle class.

[rupeeman]

The guys whose earning are enough for Food, Cloths and Shelter but not for drinking beers daily, going to late night discos and flirting with girls...

[FrugalFish]

Originally Posted by Sporkman

IMO, middle class = having to work for a living, but not an excessive amount (i.e. you get weekends), and being able to afford a house & other amenities like a car, nice appliances, the occasional vacation, etc.

I like your definition.

College isn't a factor, IMO. Most of my friends have little or no college and make more than many college graduates.

Being middle class means you have extras and are not mooching off the system.

[honeichild]

For me, being middle class isn't just about income but about values. And that's why I included college degrees in my definition.

[Dixiechick]

Middleclass = making enough to have 15-20% tax liability but not enough money to reduce that liability to 3-5%.

[savingmama]

Originally Posted by m3racer

What annual gross income qualifies one to be in the "middle class of America"?

This discussion reminded me of an Oprah show I saw, so I looked it up online. On the Oprah site I found a breakdown of the different classes by income.

"According to The New York Times' Class Matters series and the U.S. Census Bureau statistics from 2000 and 2003, if you make up to $25,000 per year, you are lower class; if you make between $25,000–$70,000, you are middle class; if you make over $70,000 per year, you are upper class."

Of course the $25,000-$70,000 number is from 2003. With time and inflation, I would definitely say that number has gone up and is probably closer to $40,000.

Also on the show it talked about since we don't usually see people's pay checks, people look at other factors to determine social class. The expert on the Oprah show said that there are three common indicators of class: weight, teeth and dialect (language).

Also the show mentioned part of defining social class is a "family's ability to provide their children with a quality education, health care and access to other resources."

[DebbieL]

Originally Posted by Sporkman

IMO, middle class = having to work for a living, but not an excessive amount (i.e. you get weekends), and being able to afford a house & other amenities like a car, nice appliances, the occasional vacation, etc.

I basically agree with you, but a house costs over 600K where I live right now, but the average household income is only in the 60's. I don't think most middle class people in my city can truly afford to buy a home at these ridiculous prices. Five or six years ago the same house went for $220-250k - still expensive, but within reach for a middle class family.

We rent, have an income close to 90K, and couldn't DREAM of buying a house here. We are middle class (and actually higher than the typical household here). I do look forward to some sanity returning to our housing market, but for now it's a no-go.

I do think a middle class couple probably "should" be able to afford a basic house!

[sweeps]

if you make up to $25,000 per year, you are lower class; if you make between $25,000–$70,000, you are middle class; if you make over $70,000 per year, you are upper class.

I think a household making $70,000/year would be very surprised they are labeled upper class.

[zetta]

Originally Posted by sweeps

I think a household making $70,000/year would be very surprised they are labeled upper class.

But they might not argue so much about being called "upper-middle" class.

[cschin4]

Myself - Anybody who makes more than me is wealthy. Anyone who makes less than me is "lower" middle class!l

[DebbieL]

The 70K thing shocks me. We are close to 90K and I barely consider us middle class (where I live). We are "maybe" middle middle class (is there such a thing? lol). Upper middle class would be a lot higher than 70K, at least where I live.

[StressLess]

I don't have an answer, but I remember something a college professor told us once. Practically everyone thinks of themselves as middle class, regardless of income level or education level. If you do a survey and ask people to self-identify, that's what they will call themselves. Few people want to think of themselves as poor, or feel like a snob. It's kind of un-American to be anything but middle class.

It reminds me of a financial guy on the radio here. He recently said how frustrated he was that none of the presidential candidates was proposing help for someone like him--close to $200,000 in income, 4 kids all in private school, a wife who doesn't work outside the home. He didn't consider himself high-income, just kind of upper-middle, and apparently in need of as much help as anyone...

[tripods68]

Middle class is all relative based on where you live and income. The median household income in California is $66K last year. If you made less than $66K, you are really poor, considering the prices of fuel costs and food prices rising all around.