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At one time in America, there was a generally accepted picture of what constituted a middle class family – two kids, owning a home, two cars in the driveway, access to material wants and money in savings. Today, that definition has become blurred because the times have changed and defining middle class has become “a squishy concept.” Simply stated, it depends…
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005 the middle class income range was $36,000 to $57,657. If the range is expanded to include the lower and upper-middle class, it expands dramatically on either end from around $19,000 to over $91,000. The 2009 median income as reported by the Census Bureau was $49,084. However, the numbers are only part of the picture in defining middle class.
There is also people’s perception of middle class that varies according to region and actual income. In a 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center 40 percent of the respondents with annual incomes under $20,000 considered themselves to be middle class. In the same survey, one-third of the respondents with incomes over $150,000 also considered themselves to be middle class. In other words, 70 percent of the respondents had widely different perceptions of middle class.
Two conclusions can be drawn concerning the middle class in America. First, there is no clearly established economic or government definition of the middle class. Middle class income is a matter of perception for most people. Second, the range of middle class incomes is widening and creating a sizable gap that translates to those with more wealth at one end and those with less at the other end.
