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It’s a vague outdated system to expect there’s only 3 classes in the American economy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.
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.
by zip code instead of state would had been more useful, but would be a very long article
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: