Sixty percent say working class

A Pew Research survey from January 2026 found 60% of U.S. adults say "working class" describes them well. Half of college graduates said the same.

Six figures, same label

Half of upper-income adults, those earning above $155,600 a year, now call themselves working class. That salary would have put them solidly in the upper middle class in the early 2000s.

Up six points in two years

Pew's 2024 study put the figure at 54%. The jump since then held steady across demographic, income, and political groups, so this is not one slice of the country talking.

The math stopped working

Inflation keeps eating paychecks while wage growth lags. Groceries got harder to afford, and gas bills climbed after the Iran war pushed fuel to record highs.

A $4.4 million dream

Investopedia priced the classic package, suburban house, two kids, a car, at $4.4 million. That is more than $1 million past what most Americans will earn in a lifetime.

Homebuyers are getting older

A new single-family home ran a median $403,200 in early 2026. The typical U.S. buyer is now 59, up from 39 fifteen years ago, and first-time buyers hit a record median of 40.

Affluence as performance

Gen Z faces record debt and 5.7% graduate unemployment, and only 21% think the dream is reachable. Half of six-figure earners use buy now, pay later on sub-$100 buys; 45% delay medical care.

“They're living the illusion of affluence while privately juggling credit cards, debt, and survival strategies.”