In the United States we have four major social classes. Yet, defining these classes is difficult because of our relatively low level of status consistency. The four major classes are the upper class, the middle class, the working class, and the lower class.
The upper class makes up five percent of the U.S. population and earns at least $160,000 annually, possibly ten times that amount. Many members of the upper class work as top corporate executives or senior government officials. Within the upper class are the upper - uppers which is less than one percent of our population. Most people in this class were born into it. Members of the upper - upper class are said to have old money. In the upper class there is also the lower - upper class which most of the upper class people actually fall into. This class is also known as the "working rich", meaning their primary source of income is earnings rather than inherited wealth. (Macionis 278) .
The middle class is forty to forty-five percent of the U.S. population. This class is looked at as "Average" people. The top half of the middle class is the upper-middles, their earnings range from $80,000 to $160,000 yearly. People in this class usually own a home in an expensive area, have nice automobiles, and have investments. Two-thirds of the children in this class will go to college and venture into high prestigious careers. In the middle class there are average - middles. In this class people usually work less prestigious, white-collar jobs. The average income is between $40,000 and $80,000 yearly. Most wealth for middle class people is in the form of a house.
The third class is the working class, which is about one-third of our population. They average $25,000 to $40,000 working blue-collar jobs. People in this class have little to no wealth, and only half of the working class family's own their own homes.The final class is the lower class twenty percent of the U.
