How do you the define middle class?

Question

People throw around the term too much in my opinion for it to have a meaningful definition. As someone with a degree in political science, I am just curious how others define the term on here.

For the record, I define it as someone who makes between 60,000 and 150,000 a year for a family of four.

Answer 1

normal

Answer 2

Sear Ryan, even the figure given above will be meaningless, if you do not consider the context of the figure you have just given. In the USA, that  MAY be a valid figure, but if you use that in the African continent, then they must be the elite or oligarchs there. So the answer is relative. Even then, if you have 200,000 Bill Gates in your country, and your population is only 5 million, then the "middle class"  figure again becomes skewed or not accurate. Key word there: relative or it depends.

Answer 3

hmm, well I'm not sure about in America, because in America money buys your class, in Britain it seems to be entirely in your breeding, no matter what class you are in, its all defined by accent, mannerisms and parenthood.

Answer 4

Households whose breadwinners are able to provide everything that is needed, but are required to work to do so, and do not have the means to live beyond the means of other people in their community.

The dollar amounts are so subjective here in the U.S. because the country is so large and diverse.  Let's take your figure of $60,000.  You could have a really nice house, single earner family, and two nice vehicles in rural Texas.  However, if you lived in Washington D.C. and made $80,000,  you might be living in an efficiency and driving an older used 4-cylinder car.

Answer 5

Even those near the bottom refer to themselves as middle class. It is a pride thing. Hope that is helpful. So it means at least 80% of a Bell Curve call themselves middle class. Kinda meaningless, isn't it?

Answer 6

I have taken so many different classes which tried defining middle class, and they all pointed to the same meaning, there's no accurate answer. Which obviously you already know, with your degree and all, but anyways... how I define middle class.... anyone who is in no need of government support, but has to follow a strict budget.

Answer 7

i think its people who dont stuggle for needs but dont have everything they want but i cannot slap a number on it

Answer 8

can afford some luxuries

(2 used fords, a little more

clothes than they need etc)

but can't go out 2 eat everyday

probabaly doesn't have a plasma

surround-sound the newest iphone

ect

did that help

fyi im middle class

Answer 9

Well, in view of how much real estate is out there I view it as THE ABILITY TO BUY A FRICKEN HOUSE IF YOU WORK YOUR *** OFF AND GET REALLY TIRED OF GETTING REAMED BY LANDLORDS. -----there is nothing "meaningless".

Answer 10

Middle Class........."self sufficient, doesn;t need hand outs and spends each day taking pride of material things to get by with knowing that what's been obtained was earned and not deserved".

It doesn;t realy matter how much money a person makes. It all matters as to what you do with what you do make.

Answer 11

That's great, but the government seems to identify the middle class as "Anybody trying to make a living for themselves and their families." To them, Lower class is the welfare class. Anything above that is considered taxable.

Answer 12

Well It wouldn't hurt for it to be a little more defined however a little less general. Meaning the amount you make doesn't necessarily have much meaning as opposed to what you can get with it. So if anything, it seams more of lifestyle formed around your environment, compared to majority = ones class

I don't think a income rang will justify the meaning of the classes. Just my opinion though.

Answer 13

2

Answer 14

Well, I think your definition of "middle class" is kinda silly.

But whatever.

My spouse & I have a beautiful home, 2 very nice vehicles (one of which is brand new and and 09) We have 2 children that were name brand clothing and do dance class and school and so on.

I am a stay at home mother and most all of my friends are Doctors wives and stay at home mother also.

Our monthly income is 2000.00 a month. We only owe 30,000.00  our home loan and paid cash for the past 2 vehicles we have bought. We are both in our 20's.

I would say we are upper class to middle class. And we make nothing a year??! Just enough to pay what home loan we have, and our monthly bills and to give us some spending money.

I do not think how much money you make is what sticks you in a class. I think it is how much class that you have that sticks you there.

People with children that act up and are not respectful, people that do not respect others, do not know what is appropriate in public and do not speak with class- to me they are lower class.

Maybe this is stupid but it is the way I look at it.

Answer 15

wrk hard and a stbl job make enough money to pay bills and sstill go out not in a srvr amount of dept

Answer 16

Enough money to pay too much tax but not enough money to find a tax loophole.

Answer 17

i must be poor then

Answer 18

I don't really think there are classes in this country any more. It used to be 1/ Lower classes who worked at manual jobs, if at all. 2/ Upper Class, Landed gentry who did no work either, & lived off inherited wealth. 3/ Middle class. The rest of us who had to do all the work in the country to support 1 & 3 in the style to which they were accustomed.

Answer 19

It's is also hard to tell because the middle class is fading is the dollar becomes devalued and the markets become flooded with a worthless currency.

The middle class no longer exists because it is all on credit-cards and is fake!!.

Answer 20

i say-

label the SOUP CAN.  not the human being based on their income.

Answer 21

It's always defined as someone whose income is similar to the speaker's.

Answer 22

Working two jobs and broke.