Just like every other country, America has social classes, namely, the rich, the upper class, the middle class, the poor, and the working class. The dividing lines among the classes has lost its significance as the top one percent of the rich and upper class Americans have seen their incomes grow much faster compared to the others since the Great Depression of 1929. The recent phenomena shows the middle class struggling to put food on their tables and grapple harder to fill gas in their vehicles while the rich are buying expensive items like yachts and private jets.
Poor & Working Class
The poor class of America comprises of blue collar workers who predominantly earn their wages by the hour. While there are people who are very well compensated by their hourly wages, the poor earn close to the minimum hourly wage. In many cases, the poor depend on welfare or social security benefits to meet their needs, so they usually have a high degree of economic insecurity. The working class is made up of blue collar workers with routine work. They may earn wages on an hourly or monthly basis but are most often employed to do physical labor. Some examples of the working poor are factory workers, farmhands, low-level clerks, cashiers, and so on. In the United States, many poor and working class individuals have had high school education. Many immigrants also fall into the poor and working class category, and are often employed in the lowest paying jobs. It’s not very easy to define the working class. In terms of income, they can be sub-categorized into statistical middle class, and even the middle middle class. According to the estimate made by Thompson and Hickey, nearly 53% of Americans fall under the category of working class.
- Working Poor: The U.S. Department of Labor offers a profile of the poor and working class.
- Middle Class to Working Poor: The article by Frosty Woolridge discusses how the middle class is becoming the new poor and working class.
- Earned Income Tax Credit: The page outlines the plan to support the working poor by long-term self-sufficiency.
- Poverty Guidelines & Poverty: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services answer some of the frequently asked questions about poverty.
- Commuting Expenses: The study probes into how traveling expenses can be a burden for the working poor.
- College Access: The page offers insights into higher education access for the working poor.
Middle Class
The middle class falls between the poor and the rich class. Advanced technology has invariably made some jobs outdated but it has also brought forth excellent opportunities for those qualified in finance and computers. The usual white-collar jobs are further being outsourced to cheaper sources of labor so the value of special skills and education has been on an all time high. The moment a middle class American hits a jackpot in form of an opportunity or a job, the rich American leaps ten steps further. The middle class is predominantly comprised of the upper middle class and the professional class. Generally, they are known as white collar professionals with salaries. The professional class consists of architects, accountants, journalists, physicians, professors, lawyers, and engineers, among others.
- Middle Class Task Force: The White House’s commitment to bolster a strong middle class.
- Middle Class Tax Increase?: Majority Leader Hoyer asks if it’s the right time to increase middle class taxes.
- Middle Class Tax Relief: The article discusses how the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2009 plays a role in the economic recovery.
- Who is the Middle Class?: The transcript at WKSU explains why it’s hard to define the middle class.
- Shrinking Middle Class: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders provides statistics to show that the middle class is shrinking.
- Fiscal Facts: The article by Gerald Prante discusses the “Middle Class” rhetoric in response to new census data.
- The Myth: Economist Stephen Rose examines if it’s true that the middle class is declining.
Rich & Upper Class
Rich individuals and those in the upper class derive maximum incomes from various sources. From 2002 to 2006, the incomes of most of the poor and middle class Americans increased by a mere 1% every year, while those at the top saw an astounding hike of 11% per year. The rich of America have strengthened their grip on the economy and there are no signs that the middle class and working poor are closing the gap.
- Banana Republic: The article by Gregory A Petsko examines some of the issues of the American upper class.
- Rich! Rich! Rich!: The article by Bill Van Auken explores if the United States is a country where the rich will always be rich.
- Wealth, Income, & Power: The article by G. William Domhoff looks at how wealth and income distributions can be so very powerful.
- The Rich & Everyone Else: The article by Andrew Hacker reviews the position of the rich in America.
- Rich Get Richer: The page provides information and statistics showing how the rich are getting richer.
- Top 1 Percent: The report by Avi Feller and Chad Stone shows how the richest 1 percent got even richer.
American Social Class Issues
The rapidly increasing income of the rich does not prove that the middle class is worse than it was a century ago. Nowadays, more middle class Americans own houses, have studied in college, drive reasonably efficient cars, and get good health care. The middle class sure has done well but the haves of the United States have done exceptionally well and they are earning exceptional incomes compared to the lower classes. This gap leads to a major issue of inequality in all areas of life, be it health care or education. More people are entering poverty, and more of the poor are being rendered homeless or plagued by hunger on the streets.
- Class Dismissed: The article by Geoff Nunberg explores the class struggle.
- People Like US: The page provides a social class resource for teachers.
- Income Mobility Study: The U.S. Department of Treasury releases the key findings on an income mobility study conducted from 1996 to 2005.
- Social Inequality: The study explores some of the issues of social inequality.
- Education & the Inequality Debate: The page discusses if social classes affects educational inequality.
- Hunger & Homelessness Survey: The U.S. Conference of Mayors provides information on the issues of hunger and homelessness in major cities.
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