What yearly income level is considered as middle class and what income level at upper middle class?

Answer 1

It depends somewhat on how you earn your income and where you live, and how many people are in the household, that is, your life style. A college professor may earn from $40,000 a year to $400,000 or more, but we would tend to see them as belonging in the same class. An income of $60000 a year would be just getting bye in New York city, but would be doing very well in most small towns. That said here are some estimates. The median income is about $46,000 so the middle would be from about 30 to 60 or 70. The upper middle would go all the way to 2 or 3 hundred thousand. Over half a million and you are rich. Look at the income distribution plot and make your own estimates. http://www.visualizingeconomics.com/2006/11/05/2005-us-income-distribution/

Answer 2

I think it has to be income. There are locations where it's acceptable to not own a home (Manhattan for example), and there's a case that can be made for non-college graduates to be at the same social standing of college graduates of their same income level. Middle class is exactly that - the class of people in the middle. They're doing ok for themselves, not poor or severely struggling. But they're not exceeding societal expectations and doing significantly better than the majority of society.

Answer 3

Too good to even look at the working poor?