Drew Westen: Who is the American Middle Class?
Economists may define “middle class” as the group whose income lies some distance from the mean family income (the average of all households) or the median income (the income level above which half of American families fall below and half above). But in the United States, as surveys over many years have shown, middle class is as much a state of mind as a state of wealth. Most Americans consider themselves middle class (although many now see themselves as having fallen out of it or in danger of doing so), even though their incomes are either below or well above — including substantially above — the $45,000-or-so household income that defines the median income in the United States. For example, most people who hover between the upper 2-3 percent, between $200,000 and $250,000, consider themselves middle class. So are Americans just bad statisticians? No. Most people who consider themselves middle class, whether they’re construction workers, nurses, middle-level managers, small business o
