There’s a debate raging on another thread about whether a $180k household income is “Middle Class”.
Here are some academic definitions of class, used by sociologists:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_class_in_the_United_States#Academic_models
Dennis Gilbert, 2002
Capitalist class (1%)
Top-level executives, high-rung politicians, heirs. Ivy League education common.
Upper middle class (15%)
Highly-educated (often with graduate degrees), most commonly salaried, professionals and middle management with large work autonomy.
Lower middle class (30%)
Semi-professionals and craftsmen with a roughly average standard of living. Most have some college education and are white-collar.
Working class (30%)
Clerical and most blue-collar workers whose work is highly routinized. Standard of living varies depending on number of income earners, but is commonly just adequate. High school education.
Working poor (13%)
Service, low-rung clerical and some blue-collar workers. High economic insecurity and risk of poverty. Some high school education.
Click on the Wikipedia link for other definitions.
There's also the dilemma of how to classify dual-income households. Does the combined income of a nurse and a high school principal make a household "rich" and undeserving of college financial aid?
What is your dividing line between MIDDLE CLASS and RICH?
↧