I guess it really depends where you live. Where I live I would say anything about 70k or so is middle class. $19k you wouldn't be able to support yourself here (maybe if you lived with 4 roommates or something).

We're definately middle-class but I don't think that earned income is always the best indicator. We earned far more money (solid 6-digits) when we lived in CA and our lifestyle improved greatly when we moved and took lower paying jobs. There are several people we know who have significant networth but almost no earned income. Some of those people are middle class, other definately not.

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

We are dead smack in the middle of the middle class. I have never really known too much about the "cut off" numbers or anything, but as long as we're making it okay, then I am totally happy

I always thought we were middle class, until one year we were moved up into the next tax bracket because we were finally making a middle class amount (when I was still working). Our accountant told us that the middle class tax bracket starts at 80k.
Now I have no idea, we live in CA and I am not working, so I would guess lower middle class
I don't understand how 19k is middle class, a single person cannot support themselves here on that amount.

Good question! I've been curious about this, too, ever since 2 separate conversations with people in 24 hours or so. One, with an income of about $50k, was talking about how she defined herself as upper middle class. The other was saying how a family with only $100k/year was low income these days (something I believe was seconded by an article someone referred to here that defined below $100k as low income for the purposes of some poll).

I would say that between $80k and $120k is just middle middle class. Above $120 or maybe $150k (depends where you live) is getting into upper middle class.

I'm not seeing anyone with a family of 4 buying a McMansion or anything less than a humble abode in our area on a salary of $80-100k (or at least they shouldn't be).