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.
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:
Oligarchies
People who don’t have to worry about money.
Homeowners living paycheck to paycheck
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It’s a vague outdated system to expect there’s only 3 classes in the American economy
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.
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:
Oligarchies
People who don’t have to worry about money.
Homeowners living paycheck to paycheck
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: