What are the 5 income classes?
One way some researchers divide individuals into economic classes is by looking at their incomes. From that data, they split earners into different classes: poor, lower-middle class, middle class, upper-middle class and wealthy.
One way some researchers divide individuals into economic classes is by looking at their incomes. From that data, they split earners into different classes: poor, lower-middle class, middle class, upper-middle class and wealthy.
Many have graduate degrees with educational attainment serving as the main distinguishing feature of this class. Household incomes commonly exceed $100,000, with some smaller one-income earners household having incomes in the high 5-figure range. "The upper middle class has grown...and its composition has changed.
Gallup has, for a number of years, asked Americans to place themselves -- without any guidance -- into five social classes: upper, upper-middle, middle, working and lower. These five class labels are representative of the general approach used in popular language and by researchers.
Lower class: This is defined as the bottom 20% of earners. Those in the lower class have an income at or below $28,007. Lower middle class: This is defined as individuals in the 20th to 40th percentile of household income. Earnings among this group are between $28,008 and $55,000.
2021 Average Annual Wages | |
---|---|
Group | Avg. Wages |
Top 1% of Earners | $819,324 |
Top 5% of Earners | $335,891 |
Top 10% of Earners | $167,639 |
Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.
Lower middle class: Those in the 20th to 40th percentile of household income, between $28,008 and $55,000. Middle class: Those in the 40th to 60th percentile of household income, ranging from $55,001 to $89,744. Upper middle class: Households in the 60th to 80th percentile, with incomes between $89,745 and $149,131.
Households with a net worth of $1 million or more may be classified as members of the upper class, depending on the definition of class used.
What is considered upper-class income per year? Upper-class workers make at least $150,000 per year.
Are doctors middle class?
The lower middle class is often made up of less educated people with lower incomes, such as managers, small business owners, teachers, and secretaries. The upper middle class is often made up of highly educated business and professional people with high incomes, such as doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and CEOs.
Most sociologists define social class as a grouping based on similar social factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation. These factors affect how much power and prestige a person has. Social stratification reflects an unequal distribution of resources.
As of Mar 14, 2024, the average weekly pay for a Working Class in the United States is $1,522 a week. While ZipRecruiter is seeing weekly wages as high as $2,058 and as low as $683, the majority of Working Class wages currently range between $1,269 (25th percentile) to $1,692 (75th percentile) across the United States.
These poverty thresholds are used for statistical purposes to calculate the number of Americans living in poverty. They are also the starting points from which federal “poverty guidelines” are calculated. According to the most recent report issued in January 2023, the poverty threshold for a family of four is $29,960.
In 2020, according to Pew Research Center analysis, the median for upper income households was around $220,000 and the median for middle income households was slightly above $90,000.
Earning $150,000 puts you well above the average salary in the U.S — over double the median income, in fact, according to Census data. With this salary, you can likely afford a bigger home than most, and likely in a more desirable location.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the average U.S. annual salary in Q4 of 2023 was $59,384. This is up 5.4% from the same time period in 2022, when the average American was making $56,316 per year. Average weekly earnings reached $1,142, while the average American made $4,949 per month in Q4 of 2023.
Updated on Sept. 13 with the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. The national median household income is $74,580, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey data for 2022. It's a 2.3% decline from 2021 estimates of $76,330.
Percentage of individuals making over 100k
In 2019, 9% of Americans had a six-figure income. In 2021, the percentage of Americans making over 100k a year decreased slightly – compared to 2019, when 1,000,000 fewer people made over 100k a year. That percentage now stood at 8.7%.
Wealthy: To be considered well off, a person must be in the 90th percentile, possessing a household net worth of $1.9 million. This level of wealth affords trips, charity donations and college funds for children.
Is 200k a year good for a single person?
If you had an income of $200,000, that would put you in the top 12% of household incomes or the top 5% of individual incomes in 2022. Though I prefer household income over individual income, no matter how you cut it, $200k a year puts you on the higher end of the income spectrum.
The median salary for Americans is around $70,000 a year, according to the most recent census data from 2021. A salary of $100,000 a year, with the assumption that you are an individual without dependents, would classify an individual as upper-class — but many of these people don't feel rich.
The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households that earn between two-thirds and double the median U.S. household income, which was $65,000 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In terms of savings accounts specifically, you'll likely find different estimates from different sources. The average American has $65,100 in savings — excluding retirement assets — according to Northwestern Mutual's 2023 Planning & Progress Study. That's a 5% increase over the $62,000 reported in 2022.
Based on 2021 data, you would need to earn $149,132 or more to be considered upper class in the U.S. While $149,132 might be a good income in a place like Huntsville, Alabama, it does not provide the same standard of living in other major cities.
References
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/how-much-money-in-checking-and-savings
- https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/high-net-worth-individual/
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/heres-how-much-you-need-to-make-to-be-considered-upper-class-in-americas-biggest-cities/
- https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0912/which-income-class-are-you.aspx
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Working-Class-Salary
- https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/social-and-global-stratification/types-of-social-classes-of-people
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wealthy
- https://www.investopedia.com/how-to-retire-with-no-money-7505220
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/ideal-net-worth.asp
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-ways-tell-middle-class-174814986.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_class
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/banks/articles/heres-how-much-the-average-rich-person-has-in-the-bank/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-net-worth-fall-americas-130000535.html
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/middle-class.asp
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/04/20/how-the-american-middle-class-has-changed-in-the-past-five-decades/
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/the-average-retirement-savings-by-age-and-why-you-need-more
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2023/06/16/you-need-more-than-22-million-to-be-considered-rich-in-the-us-but-some-say-well-being-is-the-most-important-measure-of-wealth-study-finds/
- https://usafacts.org/articles/what-does-living-at-the-poverty-line-look-like/
- https://thelazytrader.com/articles/relaxing/17-subtle-signs-someone-is-wealthy
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/5-things-you-shouldnt-do-when-your-savings-reaches-$100000
- https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/savings-account-average-balance/
- https://usafacts.org/data-projects/retirement-savings
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Decent-Salary
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/income-fall-americas-lower-middle-122100515.html
- https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/how-much-house-can-i-afford-80k-salary/
- https://twitter.com/theficouple/status/1651566020090380289
- https://www.northwesternmutual.com/life-and-money/how-much-does-the-average-70-year-old-have-in-savings/
- https://www.boldermoney.com/blog/what-does-it-mean-to-be-rich
- https://frazerjames.co.uk/how-much-do-i-need-to-retire-at-60/
- https://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/states-with-most-credit-card-debt/
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/rich-vs-wealthy/
- https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/605075/are-you-rich
- https://www.creditkarma.com/about/commentary/americans-say-their-financial-situation-worsened-in-2023-what-will-2024-bring
- https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2019/05/14/10-ways-to-appear-wealthy/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/8-key-signs-ve-made-170047090.html
- https://fortune.com/2023/10/24/standard-american-household-millionaires-federal-reserve-research/
- https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/business/hr-payroll/average-salary-us/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-million-enough-retire-comfortably-130029325.html
- https://www.pewresearch.org/race-ethnicity/2023/12/04/how-wealth-and-wealth-gaps-vary-by-income/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/rich-heres-americans-think-considered-182847861.html
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/living-paycheck-to-paycheck-statistics-2024/
- https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/204497/determines-americans-perceive-social-class.aspx
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/wealth-management/high-net-worth-individual-hnwi/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/income-considered-middle-class-2024-160007340.html
- https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/emergency-savings-report/
- https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-in-the-US-have-a-net-worth-of-over-1-million-How-does-that-compare-to-the-rest-of-the-world
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/middle-class
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/you-might-not-believe-the-net-worth-of-the-top-10/
- https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/being-rich-vs-being-wealthy-whats-the-difference
- https://nypost.com/banking/average-savings-balance/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_middle_class_in_the_United_States
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/4-most-popular-banks-millionaires-150054420.html
- https://smartasset.com/retirement/living-off-interest
- https://ofdollarsanddata.com/what-is-considered-rich/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wealthy-net-worth-considered-poor-190014440.html
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/much-savings-70-140006145.html
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/many-americans-100-000-saved-192658338.html
- https://foolwealth.com/insights/are-you-in-the-top-3-of-retirees
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/how-much-should-i-have-in-savings
- https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/investing/are-you-upper-middle-class/
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/07/23/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class/
- https://www.thrivent.com/insights/retirement-planning/how-to-retire-with-no-savings
- https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/how-much-house-can-i-afford-150k-salary/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_upper_class
- https://www.ramseysolutions.com/retirement/can-you-retire-on-1-million
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wealthy
- https://pressbooks.howardcc.edu/soci101/chapter/8-3-social-class-in-the-united-states/
- https://www.quora.com/What-kind-of-jobs-are-considered-to-be-upper-class-jobs
- https://ofdollarsanddata.com/is-200k-a-year-good/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/americans-savings-stack-2023-vs-140023973.html
- https://www.usnews.com/banking/articles/if-you-deposit-a-lot-of-cash-does-your-bank-report-it-to-the-government
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Upper-Class-Salary
- https://fortune.com/2024/02/28/high-net-worth-ultra-high-net-worth-individuals-top-one-percent-us/
- https://www.unbiased.com/discover/retirement/can-you-retire-on-100k
- https://www.quora.com/If-someone-has-100-000-are-they-rich-How-much-do-you-need-to-earn-in-order-to-say-youre-rich
- https://www.creditkarma.com/net-worth/i/net-worth-by-age
- https://ounews.co/business-law/new-research-finds-the-biggest-predictors-of-future-wealth/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/income-level-considered-rich-140003986.html
- https://jooble.org/career-advice/how-many-people-make-over-100k-in-the-us/
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/median-household-income
- https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/family-finance/articles/where-do-i-fall-in-the-american-economic-class-system
- https://www.financialsamurai.com/the-average-net-worth-by-age-for-the-upper-middle-class/
- https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/money/average-american-savings
- https://www.unbiased.com/discover/retirement/can-you-retire-on-3-million
- https://www.newretirement.com/retirement/are-you-wealthy-how-to-define-wealth/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/10/23/what-does-it-take-to-be-wealthy-in-america/71237797007/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/much-interest-does-3-million-153327947.html
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/9-signs-you-become-rich-one-day-dolores-cannon-ewa-patoka-hzxyf
- https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/9098/how-to-look-rich-on-a-tight-budget-best-18-tips
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/15/how-much-money-it-takes-to-be-considered-wealthy-in-major-us-cities.html
- https://www.investopedia.com/personal-finance/how-much-income-puts-you-top-1-5-10/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/does-100-000-annual-salary-110048076.html
- https://www.empower.com/the-currency/life/average-net-worth-by-age
- https://www.joshuakennon.com/1821745-households-in-the-united-states-have-investment-portfolios-worth-3000000-or-more/
- https://www.quora.com/What-income-is-generally-regarded-as-a-good-salary-in-the-United-States
- https://www.marketwatch.com/guides/business/average-salary-by-age/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/are-you-rich-american-wealth-net-worth/
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/does-your-income-make-you-upper-class-middle-class-or-lower-class/
- https://www.rocketmoney.com/learn/personal-finance/living-paycheck-to-paycheck
- https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/heres-how-much-money-you-need-make-join-worlds-richest-1-percent
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wealth-1-percent-5-8-million-knight-frank-report/
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hnwi.asp
- https://money.com/richest-1-percent-america-other-countries/
- https://www.ramseysolutions.com/retirement/what-is-your-net-worth