I hate that phrase. I hate that people think it's just rich and poor now.

I work at a tech firm, most people in entry level start around $35k. Middle managers make $75k. Top executives of course make $200k+

In my mind, middle class is a salary of $35k-$150k a year. I know that's a big range, but I don't think $150k a year is rich, and I think $35k is enough to satisfy a decent living, assuming you'll get raises of 5% a year if you do well, especially early on. Most $35k white collar jobs will bump you to $45-50k within 2-3 years if you do well, if not more.

I live in a pretty expensive area of an expensive state, DC Suburbs of Maryland. Even there, you can live 15 miles out of DC in a pretty safe area in Maryland and pay $1000/month for rent on a 1 bedroom apartment. When I made $35k a year my checks were $1082 every 2 weeks AFTER taxes. $1000 a month to spend on a car, utilities, food, etc. I was saving about $400/month out of each paycheck just living frugally.

Even $150k a year I don't think qualifies as rich. That will afford you a very nice home for you and your family, but it isn't enough to retire quickly. People with that much money will typically just toss it into a college fund for their kids, keep their house nice and in a very safe neighborhood. Not rich, just well off.

Thoughts?

This post was edited by AspenSniper on Jan 14 2015 10:07am

afaik middle class is more around 50kish

I think this is in reference to the decreasing national median income as mean income stays stagnant

35k a year is lower class lol

Theft by banking cartel.

Anyone claiming they cant live on 35K a year in moderate comfort is spending too much. If you make 35k a year dont have kids, its called responsibility.

And yet i hear people all the time saying "i cant feed my kids on 30k a year!" Well im sorry you fucked your own life down the drain but your employer is not required to financially back your poor decisions.

The same goes for anyone living beyond their means in any sense, new car loan, mortgage, expensive hobbies, eating out 4-5 nights a week. Doesnt matter what it is the problem with the disappearing middle class has just as much to do with an entire generation of poor money managers as it does with a lack of living wage increase.

35k a year is definitely lower class.

Everybody in America thinks they are middle class due to tricks with zoning, and houses only being build around other houses of comparible value. It is how we hide our massive inequality in plain sight. In Rio, Bogota, Mexico City, or cities in other nations with comparable inequality, you will see mansions next to shanty towns and slums, and it is much easier to notice. People in America who live in $40k houses live next to other 40K houses, while people in 400k houses live next to people in 400k houses....

This is how somebody who lives in a 40k house can think they're in the same social class as somebody in a 400k house or even a $800k house. It is a great practical application of sociology by our capitalist overlords

I have to agree here. Let's break it down a bit.

$2200/month = $35k a year after taxes and with full health insurance paid 50% by the employer 50% by you in MARYLAND, which is a very high tax state. Virginia would be more like $2300-2400/month. But let's be conservative here.

1 bedroom apt - $1000
electricity - $100
phone - $80
Cable/TV/Internet - $60 (mine is $60 and I have a dvr box, 50 mbps internet, 1 TV with most channels)
$8000 car on a 5 year loan - $130 without interest, call it $150 with
Car insurance - $80
Food/regular toiletries - $400 ($100 a week is fair if you don't go out drinking or anything like that.


That's $1870. Leaving $330 to spare or spend monthly. It's slightly tight, but absolutely doable. That's assuming your employer doesn't give you bonuses, overtime, etc.

we raised 6 kids and until my last job I never made over $42,000.00 we didn't buy new cars just good used trucks in that time we lived on three small farms the first I gutted the house and totally remodeled it at nights and Sundays (had to work sat.) we sold the first place for double what we paid, found something we could buy with more land and a house that was a fixer upper again but we wanted to use some of the cash we had left from the profits off the first. Anyway we did it again only tripled out investment with some smart advertising I had found land neat to a 5000 acre duck hunting club that sat next to the Illinois flyway then in front of us was the biggest state park in Illinois with over 8,000 acres of horse riding trails and open seasonal hunting. People from Chicago bought it

TL/dr you can live on frugal means when you have a plan and a goal, especially with a family it's essential to have every feel involved in the plans otherwise they may feel bad about not having the ready spending cash of some irresponsible families.