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The upper middle class is moving on up. About 31% of Americans were part of this income bracket in 2024, up from just 10% in 1979. What makes someone upper middle class? Families of three earning between $133,000 and $400,000 a year. These tend to be white-collar workers with college degrees \u2014 accountants, engineers, corporate managers \u2014 not flashy tech founders. <\/p>\n
Many upper-middle-classers don\u2019t even realize they\u2019ve climbed into this tier. Randy Shilling, a 58-year-old chemical plant worker in Texas, saved more than $3 million for retirement. \u201cI view myself as an average Joe,\u201d he told The Wall Street Journal<\/a>. \u201cBut when I want something, I go get it.\u201d<\/p>\n Upper middle class ranks are swelling because wages have grown faster than prices over time, especially for college-educated workers, researchers at the American Enterprise Institute found.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The upper middle class is moving on up. About 31% of Americans were part of this income bracket in 2024, up from just 10% in 1979. What makes someone upper middle class? Families of three earning between $133,000 and $400,000 a year. These tend to be white-collar workers with college degrees \u2014 accountants, engineers, corporate managers \u2014 not flashy tech founders. <\/p>\n Many upper-middle-classers don\u2019t even realize they\u2019ve climbed into this tier. Randy Shilling, a 58-year-old chemical plant worker in Texas, saved more than $3 million for retirement. \u201cI view myself as an average Joe,\u201d he told The Wall Street Journal<\/a>. \u201cBut when I want something, I go get it.\u201d<\/p>\n Upper middle class ranks are swelling because wages have grown faster than prices over time, especially for college-educated workers, researchers at the American Enterprise Institute found.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n