How Would You Define the "Middle Class" in the United States

IMO the level of income defines middle class.

in a socialogical thesis I read in gradual school, the concept of "middle-class in america"was defined by education goals'
1. upper class has the goal of school/education being primarily rooted in establishing "good connections" that could be used to further one's socio-economic status in the future. (networking)
2. middle class has the goal of school/education being primarily rooted to increasing one's skills/knowledge to further one's socio-economic status.

Classes are much more obvious in some countries. In the US over 90% of the population is middle class, so it loses it's meaning. Pretty much anyone that isn't homeless or filthy rich is middle class.

They make graphs showing economic distrobution in different countries. If you look at the US and other western countries, the graph looks like a top (spinning toy). The middle is very fat, showing a large middle class, and the top and bottom are much skinnier. I think they go by income.

This is a cut and paste:

Mathematically, the middle class is the third quintile. If all households are divided by income into five equal-sized groups, then each group is a quintile. The middle group is the third one. This group's household income ranges from $30,829 to $49,015. Incidentally, the median income in 1999 for all households was $40,816. This is extremely close to the midpoint of this range.

Hmmm. Seems too simplistic to me. Some well-educated people fall on tough times and have low incomes. Some people choose jobs for interest instead of income, not thinking money is the most important thing. Some people with little formal education achieve a great deal, including self taught knowledge, and sometimes achieve large incomes. Some born with silver spoons dropping around them are lollabouts and, unless shored up by relatives, get into fair financial troubles. Businesses fail. Bankrupcies happen. Addiction happens, and sometimes wins. Is a poor semistarving poet lower class? Pah. I think things are both more fluid over time than the categories ascribe, given that class seems to imply levels of culture, and more complicated.

I guess I don't like the word class. I can go with describing income levels as low, middle, and high and not relegating people to a class.

Seems we have many varying opinons.

I was wondering who the candidates and people in general are talking about when the refer to the middle class.

It seems lots of us are in and out of it, the middle class, depending on money and education.

Mathematically maybe, but in reality that doesn't cut it. I make substantially more than $50K/year but with three kids, a non-working spouse, and living where I do, I'm definitely lower middle class. If I could take my income and move elsewhere, that wouldn't be the case, but I cannot do that.

Referring to the middle class makes just makes americans think "Well, let's see, I'm not a slave and I'm not Bill Gates, therefor I must be middle class. Well, hey, this must be the candidate for me!" And they hop in their chevy, load their barefoot kids in the back, and head head to the to a voting booth, if they can find it.

Yesterday I looked up middle class in the OED and the Oxford Dictionary of Sociology. I would post the many definitions here except that it was page and pages in both.

Guess what I found - it is a pick your definition type of thing it seems to me. An ever changing social model.

And is started up around the end of feudal Europe. And many a politician, facist, communist, socialist, and any every one else uses the term "middle class" to entice all.

I disagree. I do believe that there are many factors that determine "middle class", and money is simply one of them. It has to do with education, aspirations, and way of life.

For instance, a drug smuggler may make more money than a schoolteacher, but the drug smuggler is hardly in a higher class than the educator.

Years and years ago, Life Magazine did a study on class, and divided class into Lower-lower, upper-lower, lower-middle, upper-middle, lower-upper, and upper-upper.

I believe that the criteria were: Income, and from where it was derived, type of housing, education, type of recreation. There were probably more criteria, but I really don't remember. I found the study fascinating.

Phoenix32890
I believe the only factor is income. Would you consider a college educated bum middle class? Of course not. Would you consider someone with a third grade education earning $50,000/yr. middle class? Yes, you would. Education had nothing to do with it. There is of course one caveat. An educated person under most conditions has a leg up when it comes to earning power.

Paul Fussell's book, CLASS

I read this a few years ago..
I agree with the last reviewer, in that I found it dated, but still strangely fascinating.