[mileydog]

Can someone define the standard of Middle Class living?

At what point does one move from Lower class to Middle class. Middle to Upper class? Is it based on income, net worth, living conditions....etc???

[MTV]

I'd say it's based on income

[mileydog]

So at what income do you make the crossover between classes? At 100k does that mean you are upper middle class?

[stooken]

Originally Posted by MTV

I'd say it's based on income

i'll go with income as well but legal income

[MTV]

Originally Posted by stooken

i'll go with income as well but legal income

haha word dude!

[Blake]

i think middle class can't be defined by income alone. cost of living has much to do with it. i think if you were to define a class, it would be better definable by how much money is left after all the bills are paid. for example: someone making $50k year after taxes could easily be middle class in somewhere like texas, where the cost of living is low; whereas the same person would almost be in a lower class in california, where the cost of living is high.

[MTV]

Originally Posted by Blake

i think middle class can't be defined by income alone. cost of living has much to do with it. i think if you were to define a class, it would be better definable by how much money is left after all the bills are paid. for example: someone making $50k year after taxes could easily be middle class in somewhere like texas, where the cost of living is low, whereas the same person would almost be in a lower class in california, where the cost of living is high.

Good point.

Factor in income, cost of living and overall lifestyle...

[stooken]

you can even add education in there if you want. maybe it's a person's overall net worth?

[mileydog]

Who cares about income....i have a friend who received inheritance and lives upppper class, although he only makes like 75k.

[BMW F22]

I think it's mostly income. A lower class is something like $10-20k. So if someone is making $50k a year he/she is considered middle class. Region-based incomes don't necessarily come into play and here's why: wages/salaries are usually reflected upon the area in which a person works. So let's take for example CA. A house in Sacramento is cheaper than here because there are less jobs there and there aren't as many people. Thus when there are job openings, the hourly wage is lower than in cities like Cupertino.

The standards of living are the still the same because it's not like McDonald's in Sactown is cheaper or more expensive than say in San Francisco. The cost of living is the same for both cities are virtually the same. I mean it's not like a person making $50k in cupertino (considered middle class) is all of a sudden in upper class in Sacramento.

As for lifestyle, well that's just personal preferences. If you're making $50k a year and spends $48k on stuff it doesn't mean that you're in the lower class. It just means you need to stop spending money on stuff you don't need. I mean if you're making $50k a year and spends $1,000 on a car lease every month, that doesn't mean you're poor. It just means that you're spending lavishly and probably are living above your means. While some people would argue that $20,000 a year is middle class in some areas, I don't believe that's true. I mean yes you can live on $20k a year but that's sure as hell not middle class. I don't care what your standards of living are or which area of the country you live in, $20k a year is not middle class. Even if you don't eat anything all year to save that $20k to spend on other stuff, it does not make you upper class.

So yeah, I think the separations between the classes are based on incomes and not much else. There was a thread a while back on how most Costco members are middle class customers. Guess what they based that on? That's right, income!

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by mileydog

Who cares about income....i have a friend who received inheritance and lives upppper class, although he only makes like 75k.

There is a difference between someone who is a true upper class vs someone that was born into upper class. Let me ask you this, if your friend continues to make $50k-75k a year, how long do you think he would remain in upper class? Unless he's inherited a fortune (and I mean something in the millions of millions), it wouldn't last long. Think about it: cars, property tax, & bills. What I'm trying to say is that you can't survive long in upper class by making only $50-75k. That's pretty much where the middle class lies.

[mileydog]

On average, I think upper middle class ultimately depends on level of education. People who obtain graduate degrees/MBA/MD/JD/PHD...etc...basically professional white collar jobs such as Dentist, Lawyer, Engineer, Doctor, Finance...those people usually make somewhere around $100K+ family income. These are your typical people that American society uses as the average family that we strive for.

Middle class is like your basic BS/BA degree from a University. They will work at places such as Govt jobs, retail, Admins, ..etc.

Upper class...those are people who are making like 500k+. It is common that they have positions of political power, CEOs, specialty doctors (brain surgeons)...etc. Most of them have IVY education such as Harvard MBA, standford medical school...etc.

Education will drive job category. Job will drive Income. Income drives lifestyle. The underlying theme is level of education.

[stooken]

Originally Posted by mileydog

On average, I think upper middle class ultimately depends on level of education. People who obtain graduate degrees/MBA/MD/JD/PHD...etc...basically professional white collar jobs such as Dentist, Lawyer, Engineer, Doctor, Finance...those people usually make somewhere around $100K+ family income. These are your typical people that American society uses as the average family that we strive for.

Middle class is like your basic BS/BA degree from a University. They will work at places such as Govt jobs, retail, Admins, ..etc.

Upper class...those are people who are making like 500k+. It is common that they have positions of political power, CEOs, specialty doctors (brain surgeons)...etc. Most of them have IVY education such as Harvard MBA, standford medical school...etc.

Education will drive job category. Job will drive Income. Income drives lifestyle. The underlying theme is level of education.

there are plenty of drop outs that have made themselves very very successful. i wouldn't say education is THE underlying reason.

[mileydog]

Originally Posted by stooken

there are plenty of drop outs that have made themselves very very successful. i wouldn't say education is THE underlying reason.

I am saying on Average. Yes there are the outliers who quit school and start Microsoft or just go straight to the NBA. But those are rare situations. On average to make a decent salary...most people need education.

[Kroy]

I think middle class is a relatively new concept and defined by income and profession.

Lower-middle = office worker, postmen
middle-middle = middle management, electrician
upper-middle = doctor, lawyer

On a side note, I remember there are 2 tiers for upper class; lower and upper. People who have made their wealth on their own are considered lower-upper class (Bill Gates) and upper-upper class is something you need to be born into (Paris Hilton). So taking that into consideration class has to be defined by more than money alone.

[Kiemyster]

Lower = less than 30k/year
upper = over 100K/year

cheers.

[aut0sh0cker]

High Upper Class: (>$500k/yr income)
multi-millionaires, celebrities, powerful execs
Top 1%

Upper Class: (household net worth ~$1M or more)
graduate degrees, engineers, doctors, lawyers, upper management, execs
the next 4%

Middle Class: (household income <$100k/yr)
college educated working professionals, desk workers, etc
the middle 45%

Working Class: (household income ~50k/yr)
blue collar, high school educated, low job security
the next 40%

Poor: (below poverty line)
low quality jobs, food service, government handouts, etc
the bottom 10%

[pmeloche]

It's all a matter of how much taxes you pay. Lower class pays no taxes because they have little income. Upper class pays little to no taxes because they can afford to invest in the loopholes of the tax system to avoid paying taxes. The middle class is the class that pays the taxes because we have income but not enough to afford the ways to not paying taxes.

So the question you should ask yourself is if you pay any taxes. If you do then you are midlle class otherwise you're not.

[DevJ]

Originally Posted by aut0sh0cker

High Upper Class: (>$500k/yr income)
multi-millionaires, celebrities, powerful execs
Top 1%

Upper Class: (household net worth ~$1M or more)
graduate degrees, engineers, doctors, lawyers, upper management, execs
the next 4%

Middle Class: (household income <$100k/yr)
college educated working professionals, desk workers, etc
the middle 45%

Working Class: (household income ~50k/yr)
blue collar, high school educated, low job security
the next 40%

Poor: (below poverty line)
low quality jobs, food service, government handouts, etc
the bottom 10%

Dang! I know at least 50 doctors that make >$500K!

[aut0sh0cker]

Originally Posted by DevJ

Dang! I know at least 50 doctors that make >$500K!

I never said it couldn't be done. I know a couple also. This is far outside the norm, however. Most doctors can hope to pull a couple hundred thousand at best. As with anything, there are a few who fall outside the norm.

Remember though, for all intents and purposes, this is a loose guide of who typically make up certain classes...

[jayely1]

Id say
Low= under 30k/year
Middle=50k/year
Upper=100k/year
High Upper=200k/

[Peanuto]

Originally Posted by stooken

there are plenty of drop outs that have made themselves very very successful. i wouldn't say education is THE underlying reason.

I agree. I never completed college, but anyone who knows me will agree I am one of the more intelligent people they know. Not all learning is done in a classroom. And there are plenty of good jobs out there with more or less no ceiling for income with only a high school education.