Quote:
Originally Posted by nik-
However, upper middle class is a thing, and "the middle class" is a notoriously flexible definition.
|
This.
The problem is people from both ends want to identify as the middle class. To me the upper middle class is more comparable to the middle class than the wealthy (hence the upper
middle class part). A family making $200,000/yr may, on paper, seem to be in a completely different world than the median income family. In reality the two lifestyles are pretty similar. At $200,000/yr your SUV may be new instead of used, your house may have wood siding instead of vinyl and your vacation may be 4 star instead of 3 star but in reality you're living the same life. Your kids are typically still in public school, you live in the same communities and you're probably still taking the train downtown. That's upper middle class.
It takes a lot more than $200,000/yr to enter the wealthy. You don't get a house in Mt. Royal or on Crescent Rd with $200,000/year. You're not driving a brand new Range Rover Autowhatever or A8 or 7 Series at $200,000/yr. You're not spending $1,000/night for your two week vacation with $200,000/yr. Those lifestyle choices belong to a completely different class and the jump to that lifestyle is far larger than the jump between median income and $200,000/yr.