What is your definition of middle class?

[zetta]

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.

[cicy33]

Definitely depends on where you live. Here we are make about $50k a year together with an area average pay rate of minimum wage ($7.50/hour) So we are probably considered middle class. But compared to a town just a few hours away we are considered lower class.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Median US salary is $48k. Poverty is like $27k. So I guess $48k +/- $10k?

[Sporkman]

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

Heh - it's like that saying: "Anybody who drives slower than me is an idiot, and anybody who drives faster than me is a maniac!"

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I'm too lazy to perfect a definition, but not too lazy to waste keyboard energy submitting this post.

Why do you ask what is middle class?

[cicy33]

Median US salary is $48k. Poverty is like $27k. So I guess $48k +/- $10k?

is this per person or household? It is ours for the household but definitely not per person.

[Ima saver]

I agree with stressless, I think most of us think of ourselves as middle class. I have a friend who does not have $5 to her name in savings and considers me very rich to have 6 figures in savings and 7 figures in net worth. But I consider myself middle class.