Shrinking Middle Class: Study Finds Only Half of Americans Now Consider Themselves Middle Class as Costs Rise
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The American middle class has been shrinking since the 1970s, dropping from 61% to 50%.
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Pew defines middle class as earning between 2/3 and twice the median US household income.
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In 2023, the minimum middle class income for a family of four ranges from $51,798 in Alabama to $81,396 in Washington DC.
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More Americans are now at the lower and upper ends of the income spectrum.
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Rising costs of living since 2020 likely pushed many out of the middle class.