Everything about Social Class In The United States totally explained
There is considerable controversy regarding
social class in the United States, and it remains a concept with many competing definitions. Many Americans believe in a simple three-class model that includes the "
rich", the "
middle class", and the "
poor". More complex models have been proposed which have as many as a dozen class levels; others deny that "
social class" exists in American society.
Most definitions of class structure group people according to
wealth,
income,
education, type of
occupation, and membership in a specific subculture or social network.
Dennis Gilbert, William Thompson, and Joseph Hickey, as well as James Henslin, have proposed class systems with six distinct social classes. These class models feature an
upper or capitalist class consisting of the
rich and powerful, an
upper middle class consisting of highly educated and
well-paid professionals, a
lower middle class consisting of semi-professionals, a working class constituted by
clerical as well as blue collar employees whose work is highly routinized and a lower class which is according to Gilbert is divided between the working
poor and underclass.
A classless society?
The idea of a
classless society somewhat persists in the United States; which explains the notion of the vast majority of Americans who place themselves in the same class, the
middle class.
Most academics consider American society sociologically and economically fragmented in such a manner that no clear class distinctions can be made. This means that there are no pronounced breaks in socio-economic strata, which makes class division highly subjective and disputable. Others such as sociologist Dennis Gilbert, however, dispute the concept of a well-mixed society, and claim that distinct social networks can be identified for each class. W. Lloyd Warner also asserts the existence of class markers:
Roman Empire, through medieval times, and to the modern-day United States. He believes that complex societies such as the United States need an equally complex social hierarchy.
Markers
Some definitions of class look only at numerical measures such as wealth or income. Others take into account qualitative factors, such as education, culture, and social status. There is no consensus on which of these variables is essential and which are merely common correlates. It is also disputed whether sharp lines can be drawn; one point of view in the debate:
Dual income controversy
Income is one of the most commonly used attributes of a household to determine its class status. The relationship between income, which mostly arises from the scarcity of a certain skill, may however, prove to be more complex than initially perceived. This raises the question of whether or not the combination of incomes results in higher social status. Of course, there's no definite answer as class is a vague sociological concept.
Education
Tertiary education (or "higher education") is required for many middle-class professions, depending on how the term middle class is to be defined. Tertiary education is rarely free, but the costs vary widely: tuition at elite private colleges often exceeds $120,000 for a four-year program. On the other hand, public colleges and universities typically charge much less (for state residents), and many, such as the
University of California system, rival the elite private schools in reputation and quality. Also,
scholarships offered by universities and government do exist, and low-interest loans are available. Still, the average cost of education, by all accounts, is increasing. The
attainment of post-secondary and graduate degrees is the perhaps most important feature of a
middle and upper middle class person with the university being regarded as the most essential institution and gatekeeper of the
professional middle class. Those with
bachelor degrees had
incomes considerably above the national median while the median income for those with some
college education remained near the national median. According to
U.S. Census Bureau, 9% of persons aged 25 or older had a graduate degree, 27.9% had a Bachelor's degree or more with 53% having attended college. With 85% of the population having graduated high school, it becomes apparent that the
average American doesn't have a college degree, but is likely to have attended college for some time and has graduated high school. Overall,
educational attainment serves as the perhaps most essential class feature of most Americans, being directly linked to
income and occupation.
| Year 2005 |
Less than 9th grade |
No high school diploma |
High school graduate |
Some college |
Associates degree |
Bachelor's degree or more |
Bachelor's degree |
Graduate degree |
Masters degree |
Professional degree |
Doctorate |
| Percentage in Group |
6.1% |
8.4% |
31.7% |
16.7% |
8.73% |
27.9% |
18.3% |
9.7% |
6.8% |
1.6% |
1.3% |
| Median personal income |
$17,422 |
$20,321 |
$26,505 |
$31,054 |
$35,009 |
$49,303 |
$43,143 |
X |
$52,390 |
$82,473 |
$70,853 |
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005
Culture
Social classes feature their own sub-cultures and have therefore developed slightly different manners of socializing their offspring.
Parental views are the perhaps most essential factor in determining the socialization process which shapes new members of society.
Commonly used divisions
The following are reported income-based terms for specific classes commonly used by social scientists and critics. These terms can carry different definitions and connotations for different speakers and audiences. It should be noted that other and often more difficult to define variables also play significant roles in determining social class and living standards. These include home equity, investment assets, non-taxable "gifting" (for example from family members), inheritance, geographical location (the primary determinant in the cost of living index), personal indebtedness, sources of income that are non-taxable, unreported and/or illegal in nature, retirement savings requirements (planned paid pension vs. none) and various forms of government supplements.
Upper class
This term is applied to a wide array of elites that exist in the United States. The term commonly includes all "blue bloods" (multi-generational wealth combined with leadership of high society) such as the
Astor or
Roosevelt families. There is disagreement over whether the "
nouveau riche" should be included as members of the upper class or whether this term should exclusively be used for established families. Twentieth century sociologist W. Lloyd Warner divided the
upper class into two sections: the "upper-upper class" and "lower-upper class". The former includes established upper-class families while the latter includes those with
great wealth. As there's no defined lower threshold for the upper class it's difficult, if not outright impossible, to determine the exact number or percentage of American households that could be identified as being members of the upper-class(es).
Income and
wealth statistics may serve as a helpful guideline as they can be measured in a more objective manner. In 2005, approximately one and half percent (1.5%) of households in the United States had incomes exceeding $250,000 with the top 5% having incomes exceeding $157,000. Furthermore only 2.6% of household held assets (excluding home equity) of more than one-million dollars. One could therefore fall under the assumption that less than five percent of American society are members of rich households.
Members of the upper class control and own significant portions of the corporate America and may exercise indirect power through the investment of capital. In recent years the salaries and, especially, the potential wealth through
stock options, has greatly increased for the "corporate elite". Inherited wealth leading to idleness is held in low regard and people who have it usually have prestigious occupations.
Yet another important feature of the upper class is that of inherited privilege. While most Americans, including those in the
upper-middle class need to actively maintain their status, upper class persons don't need to work in order to maintain their status. Status tends to be passed on from generation to generation without each generation having to re-certify its status. (exceeding the income of more than 90% of U.S. households).
The Wall Street Journal reports the median compensation for CEOs of 350 major corporations was $6,000,000 in 2005 with most the money coming from stock options. In New York City in 2005, the median income (including bonuses) of a corporate "
chief operating officer" (the #2 job) was $377,000. The total compensation for a "top IT officer" in charge of information technology in New York City was $218,000. Thus even below the CEO level of
top corporations, financial compensation will usually be sufficient to propel a households with a mere one income earner in the top 1%. In 2005 only 1.5% of American households had incomes above $250,000 with many reaching this level only through having two income earners.
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Many politically powerful people make money before coming to office, but in general the political power elite have official incomes in the $150,000 to $185,000 range; members of Congress are paid $165,000, and are effectively required to have a residence in their district as well as one in Washington.
Upper middle
This class consists of highly educated salaried professionals whose work is largely self-directed. Many have graduate degrees with educational attainment serving as the main distinguishing feature of this class. Household incomes commonly may exceed
$100,000 (
€65,866 or
£50,413), with some smaller one-income earners household having incomes in the high 5-figure range.
Although income thresholds can't be determined since social classes lack distinct boundaries and tend to overlap, sociologists and economist have put forward certain income figures they find indicative of middle class households. Sociologist
Leonard Beeghley identifies a husband making roughly $57,000 and a wife making roughly $40,000 with a household income of roughly $97,000 as a typical middle class family. Sociologists William Thompson and Joseph Hickey identify household incomes between $35,000 and $75,000 as typical for the lower middle and $100,000 or more as typical for the upper middle class. The wide discrepancy between the academic models and public opinions that lump highly educated professionals together in the same class with secretaries, may lead to the conclusion that public opinion on the subject has become largely ambiguous.
Sociologists Dennis Gilbert, William Thompson and Joseph Hickey, however, only divide the middle class into two groups. In their class modes the middle class only consists of an upper and lower middle class. The upper middle class, as described above, constitutes roughly 15% of the population with highly educated white collar professionals who commonly have salaries in the high 5-figure range and household incomes in the low six figure range. Semi-professionals with Bachelor's degrees and some college degrees constitute the lower middle class. Their class models show the lower middle class positioned slightly above the middle of the socio-economic strata. Those in
blue and
pink collar as well as clerical occupations are referred to as working class in these class models. While some might argue that the working class is synonymous with the lower middle class, it may also be argued that the working class constitutes the majority of the American population (or the "silent majority"). A distinctive feature of this class may include that fact that workers from this class merely take orders and are neither compensated for their ideas nor are they involved in the decision making process of the organization for which they work. Unlike professionals, who are paid to conceptualize, create, think, and advise, working class employees usually complete assigned tasks, as they often lack the proper training necessary for more influential positions. Today, however, this division of labor is largely due to the fact that the direction of resources requires expertise that often can't be gained without a college education. As working class persons tend to lack higher education they're commonly not qualified to design, create, or advise.
Lower class
The term lower class is commonly applied to those at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Definitions of this term vary greatly. While Lloyd Warner found the vast majority of the American population to be in either the upper-lower class or lower-lower class in 1949, modern-day experts such as Michael Zweig, an economist for
SUNY–Stony Brook, argue that the working class constitutes most of the population. Dennis Gilbert places 13% of households among the "working poor" with 12% being in the "underclass"."Thompson & Hickey place roughly 17% to 20% of households in the lower classes. The lower classes constituting roughly a fifth to a quarter of American society consists mainly of low-rung retail and service workers as well as the frequently unemployed and those not able to work. Overall, 13% of the population fall below the poverty threshold. Hunger and food insecurity were present in the lives of 3.9% of American households, while roughly twenty-five million Americans (ca. 9%) participated in the
food stamp program.
Agriculture
Farmworkers
Before industrialization, "yeoman farmers" – self-sufficient, politically independent landowners – made up a large portion of the country's population.
Jeffersonian democracy and
Jacksonian democracy successfully expanded the political rights of the yeomen, and the geographical extent of the nation to provide them farms. This culminated in the
Homestead Act of 1862 which provided hundreds of thousands of free farms. Before 1865 large southern plantations used
slaves. After
emancipation, a system of
sharecropping and
tenant farming for both whites and blacks in the
South provided a semi-independent status for farmers who didn't own their land. In contemporary times, migrant agricultural workers mostly
Hispanic perform field and packing work.
Farmers
Only 0.7% of the population of the United States is employed in the agricultural sector. Most are proprietors of independent farms. Once the dominant American social class, this group diminished in overall numbers during the 20th century, as farm holdings grew more consolidated, farming operations became more mechanized, and most of the population migrated to urban areas.
Class mobility
Class ascendancy namely that each successive generation will have a higher standard of living than its predecessor is a central theme in
American literature and
culture and plays a key role in the
American dream. While social class in the United States is largely based on achievement, climbing the social ladder is more difficult for those born into less advantageous positions. may make rising out of poverty a challenge. Class mobility in the United States decreased between the 1970s and the 1990s.
Class and politics
Income remains one of the main indicators of class, as it commonly reflects high educational attainment as well as a prestigious occupation. Today there remains a strong correlation, if not causation, between political activism as well as political representation and
household income. Furthermore, a discrepancy in the political attitudes can be found among individuals residing in households with differing incomes. During the 2000 election, voter turnout among those in the top 26% with
household incomes exceeding $75,000 were 27% more likely to vote than the average. Some rather controversial issues such as race were impacted by
household income. With higher voter turnout and affiliation with professional organizations and other popular political lobbies such as the
AARP or
NAACP, those with higher incomes were more likely to be represented in the political process with the government being more attuned to their needs.
Education also has an effect on voting record. Generally, the more educated a person is, the more likely he or she's to vote with those having graduate degrees being more likely to vote Democrat. While a rise in income generally increases the likelihood of a person voting Republican, many upper middle class professionals with
post-graduate degrees are more likely to vote
Democrat. The presence of upper middle class liberals as households with incomes exceeding $100,000 and those with graduate degrees were the only demographics where Ralph Nader won 1% of the vote. Even though those with post-graduate degrees only constituted 8.9% of the general population, they constituted 16% of all voters. This means that the most highly educated 16% of voters were expected to vote Democrat even though most of their similarly high paid but lesser educated counterparts did not.
Class and health
Income also had a significant impact on health as those with higher
incomes had better access to health care facilities, higher
life expectancy, lower
infant mortality rate and increased health consciousness. While the United States lacks
socialized medicine similar to that found in many other post-industrialized developed nations across Europe and Asia, 85% of the U.S. population were insured in 2005. Yet, discrepancies seem to remain beyond the difference between insured and uninsured. In 2006, Harvard researchers divided the U.S. into "eight Americas." Life expectancy ranges from 84.9 years for the 10,400,000 Asian Americans who had an average
per capita income of $21,566. Urban
African Americans with an
average per capita income of a mere $14,800 had a
life expectancy of merely 71.1 years, although this doesn't control for natural longevity differences among race. Furthermore, the United States like other
post-industrial nations saw increased health consciousness among persons of higher social status. Persons of higher status are less likely to smoke, more likely to exercise regularly and be more conscious of their diet. Additionally, poor Americans are more likely to consume lower quality, processed foods. One can therefore conclude that low socio-economic status contributes to a person's likelihood of being obese.
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