The American Social Class System: Where do you stand?

---

Have you ever wondered about your place in the American social class system? Most people consider themselves middle class. 

According to an April 2022 Gallup opinion survey, 38% of Americans identified as middle class and 14% as upper-middle class. Another 35% identified as working class and 11% as lower class. Relatively few, 2%, classified themselves as upper class. 

Since 2008, middle-class identification (middle plus upper middle) has dropped by 9% while working-class (working plus lower) identification increased by the same amount. Gallup attributes the changes to the 2007-09 Great Recession that led to devastating declines in housing prices.  

Gallup however considers the words “working”, and “middle” class not precise enough to know why identifications have changed. People, for example, may reasonably disagree about what constitutes the working, middle, and upper classes. Is it social status or level of income that defines class? Both education and income levels are positively correlated with upper-middle and upper classes.  

Perhaps some Americans do not see their work efforts paying off sufficiently to identify as middle or upper-class, even though their incomes may well be over the median in the United States. 

How would you respond to Gallup’s annual question: “If you were asked to use one of these five names for your social class, which would you say you belong in – upper class, upper-middle class, middle class, working class, or lower class?”   

Income groupings

In 2018, Pew Research Center defined low, middle, and upper-income groups. Here’s the breakdown of incomes for a family of three – adjusted for inflation from 2018 to 2021.

Pew Center also developed a calculator to determine your income class. See where your household income lands in the distribution. Does it align with your response to Gallup’s social class identification?        

---