Who Should Be the Judge of Middle Class?

Half of the American public considers itself middle class.

If you toss in those who call themselves upper-middle class (18 percent) or lower-middle class (21 percent), the share swells to nearly 9 in 10. Just a fraction of the public labels itself upper class (2 percent) or lower class (8 percent).

These findings are from a Pew Research Center survey taken earlier this year. But they could have come from just about any survey conducted since the dawn of public opinion research. This is a measure that stays pretty constant, in good times and bad.

Demographically, those who call themselves middle class resemble the population as a whole. They’re a representative mix of young and old; men and women; married and unmarried; white, black and Hispanic. Similarly, their social and political values resemble those of the full population.

Asked to assess what it takes for a typical family to live a middle class lifestyle, the public measures by a sliding scale. Those whose annual family income is below $40,000 peg the price of admission to the middle class at about $45,000 a year. Those whose family income is above $150,000 say it takes $100,000 a year for a family to live a middle class life.

Given these wide variances, should the definition of middle class be entrusted to the public? Good question. But here’s an even better one: Who else can judge?

“Middle class” is one of those terms that is universally familiar and devilishly elusive. It is both a social and economic construct, and because these domains don’t always align, its borders will always be blurry (where does the impoverished grad student fit?). At its core, middle class is a state of mind. And almost all Americans consider themselves residents. Or at the very least, near neighbors.