Before Reagan became President, 'middle class' was still defined as one job being able to support a family of four. By the time Bush Sr. left office, 'middle class' was two incomes to keep the house going. At the same time, $1 million went from being a vast personal fortune to what a rich guy paid for a party.
this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2025
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yup. im single income with a wife that has a lot of medical issues. We barely stay afloat but if I was single I would be rich. If we had universal healthcare we would be doing great to.
The report, which crunched the numbers for all 50 states, is based on Pew Research’s definition of middle class: two-thirds to double the median household income.
This kinda strikes me as a bit of a disingenuous definition. Being middle class always struck me as having a moderate amount of disposable income after all regular life expenses.
If you're living in an expensive part of your state, you could well be above that 66% of median state income mark, but still be quite impoverished.
by zip code instead of state would had been more useful, but would be a very long article
PA is a good example of this. The “high middle class” income is about $150k. That’s great if you live in Dubois but not so great in Philly.
I agree, but I think I can guess why they do that - they can maybe get total income from aggregate tax records, but disposable income would have to be asked individually.
Being middle class always struck me as having a moderate amount of disposable income after all regular life expenses.
I've been getting shit since "Bad and Bougie" became a thing that the bougerouise were "middle class" in pre-revolutionary France.
Because "middle class" isn't a mathematical range, class are not defined that equally.
In modern America we have:
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Oligarchies
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People who don't have to worry about money.
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Homeowners living paycheck to paycheck
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Renters living paycheck to paycheck.
Really you could combine 3 and 4, but home ownership is one of the last big investments people have. When "American middle class" became iconic, homeownership was just taken for granted.
It's a vague outdated system to expect there's only 3 classes in the American economy
You forgot:
- People without homes
That's wild. If I was making 100k a year I'd be able to retire in a decade. I make about a third of that and I've got virtually everything a man could ask for.
Wow, how is your cost of living so low?
I live in a tiny 75-year-old granny cottage, drive a 17-year-old truck, wear 10-year-old clothes, never eat out, and never travel anywhere.
Have you tried cutting back on avocado toast?
I wasn't complaining
Well then you’re too perfect for this world. [a compliment few will ever deserve]
I’ve lived that life and it’s fucking awesome. Congrats at winning. I hope I can join you soon.
Chuckling at the downvotes, treatlers mad at your simple living I guess
Turning off that feature sure was among the better choices when it comes to my social media use and mental well-being. Knowing Lemmy, it's probably my choice of transportation.
Are you living alone? That’s the only way I can make those numbers add up. I’ve got a similar lifestyle but repairs/food/dependants mean I need a significantly higher income to break even AND save for retirement.
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Really? I would have guessed jealousy, like a petty "tHeY hAvE iT EaSy" or something else small-minded. Either way, kudos!
I see your UK instance, is your "1/3 of that" in dollars or GBP? For context, 100k USD is currently about 77k GBP
I live in northern europe. Converted to dollars my current yearly income is a little over 33k USD.
Yeah, but you get all that free Socialized healthcare that we 'Muricans have to pay for
I made 100k / yr for a decade. I was not able to retire. Tho, I am in a better position than many of my peers.
I no longer make 100k / yr, but I'm still above median for my state, and with this job I can also help provide care for a disabled family member in their home.
Find your state here
expand
Alabama
Low end of middle class: $41,471 High end of middle class: $124,424 Median household income: $62,212
Alaska
Low end of middle class: $57,748 High end of middle class: $173,262 Median household income: $86,631
Arizona
Low end of middle class: $51,538 High end of middle class: $154,630 Median household income: $77,315
Arkansas
Low end of middle class: $39,129 High end of middle class: $117,400 Median household income: $58,700
California
Low end of middle class: $63,674 High end of middle class: $191,042 Median household income: $95,521
Colorado
Low end of middle class: $61,934 High end of middle class: $185,822 Median household income: $92,911
Connecticut
Low end of middle class: $61,104 High end of middle class: $183,330 Median household income: $91,665
Delaware
Low end of middle class: $54,235 High end of middle class: $162,722 Median household income: $81,361
Florida
Low end of middle class: $48,869 High end of middle class: $146,622 Median household income: $73,311
Georgia
Low end of middle class: $49,750 High end of middle class: $149,264 Median household income: $74,632
Hawaii
Low end of middle class: $63,542 High end of middle class: $190,644 Median household income: $95,322
Idaho
Low end of middle class: $49,956 High end of middle class: $149,884 Median household income: $74,942
Illinois
Low end of middle class: $53,532 High end of middle class: $160,612 Median household income: $80,306
Indiana
Low end of middle class: $46,313 High end of middle class: $138,954 Median household income: $69,477
Iowa
Low end of middle class: $47,617 High end of middle class: $142,866 Median household income: $71,433
Kansas
Low end of middle class: $46,884 High end of middle class: $140,666 Median household income: $70,333
Kentucky
Low end of middle class: $40,741 High end of middle class: $122,236 Median household income: $61,118
Louisiana
Low end of middle class: $38,815 High end of middle class: $116,458 Median household income: $58,229
Maine
Low end of middle class: $49,150 High end of middle class: $147,466 Median household income: $73,733
Maryland
Low end of middle class: $65,779 High end of middle class: $197,356 Median household income: $98,678
Massachusetts
Low end of middle class: $66,565 High end of middle class: $199,716 Median household income: $99,858
Michigan
Low end of middle class: $46,117 High end of middle class: $138,366 Median household income: $69,183
Minnesota
Low end of middle class: $56,718 High end of middle class: $170,172 Median household income: $85,086
Mississippi
Low end of middle class: $36,132 High end of middle class: $108,406 Median household income: $54,203
Missouri
Low end of middle class: $45,692 High end of middle class: $137,090 Median household income: $68,545
Montana
Low end of middle class: $47,198 High end of middle class: $141,608 Median household income: $70,804
Nebraska
Low end of middle class: $49,722 High end of middle class: $149,180 Median household income: $74,590
Nevada
Low end of middle class: $50,904 High end of middle class: $152,728 Median household income: $76,364
New Hampshire
Low end of middle class: $64,552 High end of middle class: $193,676 Median household income: $96,838
New Jersey
Low end of middle class: $66,514 High end of middle class: $199,562 Median household income: $99,781
New Mexico
Low end of middle class: $41,508 High end of middle class: $124,536 Median household income: $62,268
New York
Low end of middle class: $54,725 High end of middle class: $164,190 Median household income: $82,095
North Carolina
Low end of middle class: $47,198 High end of middle class: $141,608 Median household income: $70,804
North Dakota
Low end of middle class: $51,012 High end of middle class: $153,050 Median household income: $76,525
Ohio
Low end of middle class: $45,175 High end of middle class: $135,538 Median household income: $67,769
Oklahoma
Low end of middle class: $41,421 High end of middle class: $124,276 Median household income: $62,138
Oregon
Low end of middle class: $53,435 High end of middle class: $160,320 Median household income: $80,160
Pennsylvania
Low end of middle class: $49,211 High end of middle class: $147,648 Median household income: $73,824
Rhode Island
Low end of middle class: $56,642 High end of middle class: $169,944 Median household income: $84,972
South Carolina
Low end of middle class: $45,198 High end of middle class: $135,608 Median household income: $67,804
South Dakota
Low end of middle class: $47,869 High end of middle class: $143,620 Median household income: $71,810
Tennessee
Low end of middle class: $45,083 High end of middle class: $135,262 Median household income: $67,631
Texas
Low end of middle class: $50,515 High end of middle class: $151,560 Median household income: $75,780
Utah
Low end of middle class: $62,274 High end of middle class: $186,842 Median household income: $93,421
Vermont
Low end of middle class: $54,135 High end of middle class: $162,422 Median household income: $81,211
Virginia
Low end of middle class: $59,948 High end of middle class: $179,862 Median household income: $89,931
Washington
Low end of middle class: $63,064 High end of middle class: $189,210 Median household income: $94,605
West Virginia
Low end of middle class: $37,295 High end of middle class: $111,896 Median household income: $55,948
Wisconsin
Low end of middle class: $49,749 High end of middle class: $149,262 Median household income: $74,631
Wyoming
Low end of middle class: $48,272 High end of middle class: $144,830 Median household income: $72,415
TIL I'm now lower class.
I knew what I was going to find when I looked for my state and find out I’m even poorer than I thought I was 😣
Hawaii
Low end of middle class: $63,542
High end of middle class: $190,644
Median household income: $95,322
Similar to California. I’m making close to 150k a year on my own. Single income home. And I barely survive.
Yeah, there's kind of a big flaw in this. I'm in California, too. It's a huge state, and there re giant swaths of it that don't have especially high cost of living, but the population centers like LA and San Francisco are very, very expensive. Taking the median isn't going to give you a realistic answer for most of us.
I’ve been looking at homes in those areas.
Not sure about your political persuasions, but sadly the inexpensive areas of California tend to be deep red as well.
I’m fully aware. I’m from the Appalachian mountains originally. I’m used to the Bible Belt.
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I wonder how they set those endpoints and how they have changed over the years.
It's all based on the median household income. I feel like that isn't the best representation if the median household is losing purchasing power over time due to wage stagnation, but it's the definition they went with. From the article:
The report, which crunched the numbers for all 50 states, is based on Pew Research’s definition of middle class: two-thirds to double the median household income.
Yeah I see now. I think I can calculate a meaningful upper bound using the GINI index. I'll see if I can work out numbers that look plausible, and make another post sometime.
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