How much you have to earn to be considered middle class
NY is interesting. The cost of living upstate is so different than in the NYC metro, The range in NY certainly does not apply to NYC metro.
ram said:
I am sure most people in NJ making over $140K do not consider themselves to be beyond middle class.
Depends on many circumstances. And people aren't always the best judge of their own standing relative to others. (Even with income somewhere south of $140K, I'd consider my household at the upper bounds, at the very least, of middle class considering family size, job status and creature comforts.)
NY is interesting. The cost of living upstate is so different than in the NYC metro, The range in NY certainly does not apply to NYC metro.
I can't imagine any state where a single range would apply statewide. The local differences in standards of living are too complicated for such a list, it seems to me.
Everyone who is not on public assistance and does not own a yacht considers themselves "middle-class".
There are some high wage earners who spend most of what they earn, but I would still classify them as upper class. But, in general, this is probably a better definition than one based on average/median income levels.sarahzm said:
Mario Cuomo was once asked to define the middle class and his answer was that if you own your own home you are middle class. I always thought that the definition upper class is that you have enough wealth to live off the income from your assets rather than your wages.
1. The have's
2. The have nots
3. The have it all, but have not paid for it.
I think the definition of middle class has changed. Formerly defined by home ownership, new definition is something like 6 to 12 months from homelessness.
At the end, in the appendices it has this quiz, which I always got a kick out of. If you are a social climber and want to be perceived as being "high class" pay close attention.
THE LIVING ROOM SCALE
Begin with a score of 100. For each of the following in your living room (or those of friends or acquaintances) add or subtract points as indicated. Then ascertain social class according to the table at the end.
Have fun
Hardwood floor add 4
Parquet floor add 8
Stone floor add 4
Vinyl floor subtract 6
Wall to wall carpet add 2
Working Fireplace add 4
New oriental rug subtract 2 each
Worn oriental rug add 5 each
Threadbare oriental rug add 8
Ceiling 10ft high or higher add 6
Original paintings by internationally
recognized practitioners add 12 each
Original drawings, prints or
lithographs by IRP add 8 each
Reproductions of any Picasso
painting, print or anything subtract 6
Original artwork by family members subtract 4 each
Windows curtained rods & drawcords add 5
Windows curtained – no rods add 2
Genuine Tiffany Lamp add 3
Any work of art depicting cowboys subtract 3
Professional oil portrait of any family member subtract 3
Any display of collectibles subtract 4
Transparent plastic covers on furniture subtract 12
Furniture upholstered with metallic threads subtract 3
Cellophane on any lampshade subtract 4
Refrigerator/washingmachine or dryer in
living room subtract 10
Motorcycle in living room subtract 12
Periodicals visible laid out flat
National Enquirer subtract 6
Popular Mechanics subtract 5
Readers Digest subtract 3
National Geographic subtract 2
Smithsonian subtract 1
Scientific American subtract 1
New Yorker add 1
Town & Country add 2
New York Review of Books add 5
Times Library Suplement (London) add 7
Paris Match add 8
Hudson Review add 8
Each family photograph (black & white) subtract 2
Each family photograph (color) subtract 3
Each family photograph (B & W or Color)
in sterling silver frame add 5
Potted citrus tree with midget fruit growing add 8
Potted palm tree add 5
Bowling ball carrier subtract 6
Fishbowl or aquarium subtract 4
Fringe on any upholstered furniture subtract 4
Identifiable Naugahyde aping anything
customarily made of leather subtract 6
Any item exhibiting words in an ancient or modern
foreign language ( excluding Spanish add 7
Wooden Venetian Blinds subtract 2
Metal Venetian blinds subtract 4
Tabletop obelisk of marble, glass etc add 9
No periodicals visible subtract 5
Fewer than 5 pictures on walls subtract 5
Each piece of furniture over 50 yrs old add two each
Bookcase full of books add 7
Any leather bindings more than 75 years old add 6
Bookcase partially full of books add 5
Overflow books stacked on floors/chairs etc add 6
Bookcase or wall system displaying plates, pots,
figurines, photos but no books subtract 4
Wall unit with built in TV subtract 4
Works of sculpture, original, not made by any family
Member add 4 each
Works of sculpture made by a family member subtract 4 each
Every item alluding specifically to the United Kingdom add 1 each
Any item alluding even remotely to Tutankhamen subtract 4 each
Each framed certificate or diploma subtract 2
Each item with a tortoiseshell finish, even if made of
formica add 1
Each Eames chair subtract 2
Anything displaying the name or initials of anyone in
The household subtract 4
Curved moldings visible anywhere in the room add 5
CALCULATING THE SCORE
245 and above: Upper Class
185 to 244 Upper Middle Class
100 – 185 Middle Class
50-100 High Prole (proletariat)
Below 50 Mid or Low Prole
THE MAIL BAG
Dear Sir, We are a young couple about to buy our first home. May we assume that a fireplace has more status than a garage? The Hopefuls
Dear Hopefuls, It does, but the garage shows. Go for the Garage. And don't say "home". It's vulgar
Dear Sir: What about the class aspects of standing on the sidewalk in a large city and eating a hot dog or similar viand bought from a street peddler presiding over one of those little carts? Puzzled
Dear Puzzled, Only people very expensively dressed or terribly good looking can do this without impairing their status. middle class people demean themselves further by doing this sort of thing, but uppers can confirm their high status by it, like appearing at an afternoon ball game in a costly suit, suggesting that you're doing the occasion honor. You also, in both activities, get high class credit for your upper class magnanimity in appearing to be democratic
Dear Sir, I have been living in Georgetown for thirty years and find I must move to Del Rio, Texas. Will I suffer a loss of cast? Nervous
Dear Nervous, How can you ask? You'll never be able to show your face in civilized company again, but at least you're not moving to Miami.
Dear Sir, My son attends Eckert College in St Petersburg, Florida but insists on putting a Harvard sticker in the rear window of his car. Is this wrong? Worried
Dear Worried. It is very wrong but at least it indicates that he's learning something down there. He may go far.
sac said:
It just goes to show that bank acccount balances and salary levels don't tell the whole story.
Amen.
Interesting reading and discussion - thanks for posting. Not sure how to "follow" in the new MOL, so posting to do so...
qrysdonnell said:
I always assume that if anyone insists that they're not 'rich' and are still in the middle class they're probably not. It's sort of like hipsters. Everyone knows you are one on sight, but you'll never admit it.
20 year old me would think 44 year old me is filthy stinking rich. Obama and the IRS definitely think I'm rich. In reality I have less disposable income now than I did when I was fresh out of college. The math for me retiring comfortably at a reasonable age is terrible. There are people who I consider rich that make less money than I do. Not sure what the formula is for rich but it needs to involve more than just ones paycheck. Our household income is way past what I thought I'd need at this point in my life to be "all set" but I still sometimes come in the back door of my house because I don't want to see the bills the mail lady pushed though the slot..
We tend to take on an increasing amount of financial responsibility, pushing us from comfortable to struggling.
This is why disposable income is less in middle age than when we're in our 20's. In our 20's, we want and expect less.
20 year old you probably didn't have a mortgage, student loan, medical expenses, insurance premiums, child care costs, the level of taxes you presently pay, etc. Our fiscal responsibilities at age 20 are often very different from our fiscal responsibilities at age 44. Add on inflation and the income that seemed extremely generous at age 20 probably doesn't cover nearly as much now as it would have then.
Or the bars got more expensive.
joan_crystal said:
20 year old you probably didn't have a mortgage, student loan, medical expenses, insurance premiums, child care costs, the level of taxes you presently pay, etc. Our fiscal responsibilities at age 20 are often very different from our fiscal responsibilities at age 44. Add on inflation and the income that seemed extremely generous at age 20 probably doesn't cover nearly as much now as it would have then.
As a Sociology grad student specializing in Class Analysis and Historical Change (yes, the actual name of my program), I spent more time than most reading articles and books on class, analyzing data on class, and just thinking about the whole class thing.
I have two basic take-aways from all that class analysis:
- Defining "class" is a lot like Justice Stewart's definition of pornography. You cannot define it but you know it when you see it.
- Most times when someone is talking about "class" there is a political agenda, either explicit or implicit.
There are no commonly accepted measures or definitions of what a class is, let alone which types of classes exist in our society or in other societies. Some measure class solely by income, others by moral values, or job description, or position with regards to control of their work pace/product. But there is no general rule of thumb that even a majority of social scientists agree upon.
In a rapidly changing economy and society, it has become harder and harder to draw class boundary lines. In some industries, line workers need to have significant technical and mathematical training--are they still working class? How about "new media" tech workers who use computers and computer programs but basically gin out mass production products working at long benches in converted manufacturing buildings? Are they in the technical class even though they may be paid piece rates?
Barbara Ehrenreich tried to define the "New Class" in the 1980's as a "professional-managerial" class that had university degrees, managerial control, etc but while this was influential it did not have adequate definitive value to become a real change in how folks think about class. But it did point out many of the problems with the more standard understandings of class.
Whenever I hear some politician pontificating about protecting our middle class I immediately look to see who he wants to benefit at the expense of someone else. And I try to grab my wallet before he gets his hands on it.
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