{"id":90703,"date":"2019-09-01T20:34:03","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T00:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbachnet.wwwmi3-ss40.a2hosted.com\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2021-06-30T12:57:33","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T16:57:33","slug":"are-you-middle-class-this-labor-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/are-you-middle-class-this-labor-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Middle Class This Labor Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Are<\/a><\/p>\n

It is Labor Day<\/strong><\/a> in the U.S. Organized labor<\/a> created the U.S. middle class<\/a>. Now the middle class is being squeezed out of existence<\/strong>. Considerable<\/a><\/em> reports<\/a> that the Pew Research Center<\/a> has concluded that 52% of Americans qualify as middle class<\/strong>. 29% in lower-income households and 19% in upper-income households.<\/p>\n

\"Middle<\/a>The researchers found that today, roughly half of American households fall into the middle class<\/strong>, over time the middle class has been shrinking<\/a><\/strong>. In 1971, 61% of adults lived in middle-class households. During this time both upper and lower-income segments of the population have been growing at the expense of the middle class. Plus, the upper class has seen bigger income gains, widening the income gap<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Pew found that the highest concentrations of middle-class<\/strong> Americans reside in the Midwest and Northeas<\/strong>t. Sheboygan, WI has the largest percentage of middle-class adults in the U.S., others are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Sheboygan, WI – 65.2%<\/li>\n
  2. Elkhart-Goshen, IN – 64.4%<\/li>\n
  3. East Stroudsburg, PA – 63.7%<\/li>\n
  4. Ogden-Clearfield, UT – 63.1%<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The areas with the highest concentration of upper-class households should not surprise anyone.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA – 31.6%<\/li>\n
    2. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV – 30.6%<\/li>\n
    3. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA – 30.4%<\/li>\n
    4. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT – 30.2%<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The national average middle-class household income is $78,442 according to the Pew data. The Michigan middle-class<\/strong> benchmark is just over $79,000<\/strong> and is placed in the middle at the 27th place nationally, between New Mexico and Maine. The Michigan middle-class household earns on average $600 more than the national average.<\/p>\n

      As for metro regions, the highest<\/strong> income to be middle class in the U.S. belongs to:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Iowa City, IA\u00a0 $90,158<\/li>\n
      2. Auburn-Opelika, AL $87,363<\/li>\n
      3. Monroe, MI $87,330<\/li>\n
      4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV\u00a0 $86,645<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Being middle class requires the least income in:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. El Centro, CA $69,338<\/li>\n
        2. Merced, CA $71,319<\/li>\n
        3. Lewiston-Auburn, ME $71,612<\/li>\n
        4. Coeur d’Alene, ID $71,726<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          The Pew data says that in order to be middle class in Michigan<\/strong> the major metro-areas a household needs to have the following incomes.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. \"\"<\/a>Muskegon, MI $76,699<\/li>\n
          2. Saginaw, MI $77,731<\/li>\n
          3. Lansing-East Lansing, MI $79,522<\/li>\n
          4. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $80,159<\/li>\n
          5. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI $80,166<\/li>\n
          6. Niles-Benton Harbor, MI $80,302<\/li>\n
          7. Ann Arbor, MI $80,907<\/li>\n
          8. Kalamazoo-Portage, MI $81,003<\/li>\n
          9. Jackson, MI $81,710<\/li>\n
          10. Monroe, MI $87,330<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            In the table below, you\u2019ll find the median incomes for each U.S. state<\/strong> for a three-person middle-class household, adjusted for the cost of living in the states. The amounts vary because Pew adjusts the data to reflect the cost of living around the country. Keep in mind the this is based on 2016 income, but since inflation has been modest in recent years the exact number probably won\u2019t have changed much.<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            How much income it takes to be middle class<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
            Rank<\/th>State<\/th>Income<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
            1<\/td>District of Columbia<\/td>$88,579<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            2<\/td>Rhode Island<\/td>$84,413<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            3<\/td>Maryland<\/td>$84,372<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            4<\/td>Alaska<\/td>$84,015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            5<\/td>Massachusetts<\/td>$83,923<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            6<\/td>North Dakota<\/td>$83,494<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            7<\/td>Connecticut<\/td>$82,747<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            8<\/td>Minnesota<\/td>$82,173<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            9<\/td>New Jersey<\/td>$81,950<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            10<\/td>South Dakota<\/td>$81,334<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            11<\/td>Virginia<\/td>$81,309<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            12<\/td>Colorado<\/td>$81,234<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            13<\/td>Iowa<\/td>$81,167<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            14<\/td>Wisconsin<\/td>$81,053<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            15<\/td>Illinois<\/td>$81,010<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            16<\/td>New Hampshire<\/td>$80,656<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            17<\/td>Washington<\/td>$80,615<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            18<\/td>Wyoming<\/td>$80,217<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            19<\/td>Hawaii<\/td>$80,168<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            20<\/td>Ohio<\/td>$80,033<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            21<\/td>Delaware<\/td>$79,959<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            22<\/td>Pennsylvania<\/td>$79,717<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            23<\/td>Nebraska<\/td>$79,549<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            24<\/td>Kentucky<\/td>$79,216<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            25<\/td>Missouri<\/td>$79,189<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            26<\/td>Maine<\/td>$79,060<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            27<\/td>Michigan<\/td>$79,042<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            28<\/td>New Mexico<\/td>$79,012<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            29<\/td>Kansas<\/td>$78,971<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            30<\/td>Georgia<\/td>$78,961<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            31<\/td>Vermont<\/td>$78,877<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            32<\/td>Texas<\/td>$78,866<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            33<\/td>Montana<\/td>$78,854<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            34<\/td>Alabama<\/td>$78,624<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            35<\/td>North Carolina<\/td>$78,624<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            36<\/td>Oregon<\/td>$78,550<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            37<\/td>Nevada<\/td>$78,461<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            38<\/td>New York<\/td>$78,412<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            39<\/td>South Carolina<\/td>$78,016<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            40<\/td>Indiana<\/td>$77,941<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            41<\/td>California<\/td>$77,806<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            42<\/td>Oklahoma<\/td>$77,658<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            43<\/td>Utah<\/td>$77,575<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            44<\/td>Tennessee<\/td>$77,495<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            45<\/td>Louisiana<\/td>$77,351<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            46<\/td>Arizona<\/td>$76,860<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            47<\/td>Idaho<\/td>$76,849<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            48<\/td>Mississippi<\/td>$76,666<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            49<\/td>West Virginia<\/td>$76,629<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            50<\/td>Arkansas<\/td>$76,569<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            51<\/td>Florida<\/td>$75,414<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nIn 2016 dollars, reflects three-person household, and adjusted for cost of living in the states. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2016 American Community Survey (IPUMS)<\/span>\n\n

             <\/p>\n

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