Are you in the lower, middle, or upper class income category?

@NJChicaa (125590)
United States
December 14, 2025 6:20am CST
I am going through the news this morning as I do every day. I just read an article talking about Trump's proposed tariff dividends for "lower and middle income" people/families. It got me to thinking about what exactly determines if you are middle class or whatever. I went to the University of Google and searched for that and found a link for a calculator. It asked what state I live in, my family size and what my pre-tax income is. The calculator is based on 2022 data. So I put in my stuff and. . . I am classified as middle class. That is kind of surprising considering my income and the fact that it is just me and I'm not a family of 4. I mean I'm not a snob and don't consider myself "upper class" but I thought the calculator might. It did say however that it took into account the cost of living based on location. Hmmmm. . . . . . I just redid it for Louisville, Kentucky (hi @FourWalls !) , Montana, and Little Rock, Arkansas and I would be considered "upper class". New Jersey really is an expensive place to live in. I seriously doubt that Trump will ever get his "tariff dividends" enacted but I wouldn't be eligible for them in any case. Here in NJ I'm middle class but I earn more than the proposed top limit that I've seen floated.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/16/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class/
8 people like this
8 responses
Amber
@AmbiePam (108077)
• United States
14 Dec
Yeah, in Oklahoma you would be considered to be doing very well (cost of living is much lower).
3 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (81015)
• United States
14 Dec
You’d be upper class here, definitely. I consider myself middle class: I own my house and do what I want to do.
2 people like this
OceanTiara
@RebeccasFarm (91051)
• Arvada, Colorado
14 Dec
Income wise I am upper low income now. When I was working definitely middle income. Through out life my income has vaired wildly. Some days I'd make more than doctors, other days I'd make zero.
2 people like this
DE
@DaddyEvil (163650)
• United States
14 Dec
When I worked, Pretty and I were "middle class" but now that I don't, we're "lower class". I seriously doubt we'll get a dividend from the tariffs.
1 person likes this
NJ Chicaa
@NJChicaa (125590)
• United States
14 Dec
yeah I doubt it will ever happen
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (367262)
• Rockingham, Australia
23h
I'm pretty sure we'd be middle class too although there are plenty worse off than we are. I certainly wouldn't consider myself upper-class.
1 person likes this
LindaOH
@LindaOHio (208256)
• United States
15h
It says I'm middle class even though I only make 1/3 of what you do. I guess Ohio must be pretty inexpensive to live in.
1 person likes this
Lenore Plassman
@sallypup (67111)
• Centralia, Washington
14 Dec
I don't know. My hubby and I have just enough income that we still are allowed to pay our house taxes. Go us. About 5 thousand too much per year.
1 person likes this
Gayle Harrelson
@2ndchances24 (11303)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
14 Dec
If it was just me living on barely 400 $ a mon I'd say I'm in the low income bracket but I'm not, with the combined income we're just close enough to be in upper class, but what we get we can make things work without going in the hole.
1 person likes this