Someone's else's view on middle class
have you spent much time outside the US? Namely in the Northern part of Europe? You seem to think that the American middle class is the trailer park class... and that's fine, you're entitled to your own set of expectations and your own sense of value.. I'm done here however. Peace out.
Median Income, the 2008 census reported the medium income as $50,233. The PewResearch Center suggests that the middle income range is 75 percent to 150 percent of the median income. This would make the middle class income range $37,675 to $75,350. To most, this range seems small, and surveys conducted by the PewResearch Center find that many who fall outside this range still consider themselves middle class.
Economist's Views, economist Gary Burtless of Brookings Institution indicates that the middle class encompasses from one-half the median income to twice the median income. This would make the middle class income range $25,117 to $100,466. MIT economist Frank Levy believes that those in the middle class have enough money to afford the basic building blocks of a good life, including a house, a car and money to pay necessary bills. He suggests that families in their prime earning years are middle class if they fall between $30,000 and $90,000.
More Than Income, surveys conducted by the PewResearch Center confirm that salary, or income, range is not the only determining factor of what class a person considers himself. Four out of 10 Americans with incomes below $20,000 classify themselves as middle class. On the other end, one-third of those who enjoy incomes over $150,000 say they are middle class.
And the tax burden for median income has dropped from 6% to 4% between 1955 and 2008.
Your $250/yr middle class person seems to be fitting into the upper middle class by a long shot. But they again you are well off and consider that average
BTW A 1400 sq ft house, like mine, is trailer park trash?