Defining the U.S. middle class

Most Americans in the United States define themselves as being part of the middle class, but there are differing opinions of what that means.

Economists generally align the group according to earnings, even if there is no standard established range." Most people tend to think of themselves as middle class unless they're (billionaire investor) Warren Buffet or really poor," said J.D. Foster, an economist and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He said he defined the upper 20 percent of earners as "upper income," the lower 20 percent as "lower income" and the 60 percent in the middle as "middle income" or middle class. He cited a Congressional Budget Office report that put that range at $15,900 and below for people in the lower income range and $120,600 or above for those in the upper income tier. Brian Riedl, another economist at the Heritage Foundation, said the definition could change based on location and living expenses. "Middle class can be relative to where you live," he said, adding that more income would be needed for a middle class lifestyle in New York City than a town in Nebraska.