![]() The graph below shows the share of a racial group in population subtracted from its share in the top 20 percent:īlack underrepresentation in the top quintile has also remained essentially stable over time, a mirror image of the picture for whites. The racial composition of the top quintile compared to the whole household income distribution (for our age cohort) shows considerable stability over time. But, with the notable exception of the ascent of Asian Americans, it has not. But it would be reasonable to expect the picture to have improved over time. It is perhaps not surprising that the top rung of the income ladder is disproportionately white, given stubborn race gaps in upward mobility, housing segregation and its legacy, and educational inequalities. is the upper middle class becoming more diverse? not really. The only minority that bucks the trend is Asians, who make up 7 percent of the overall population but 11 percent of the upper middle class. For blacks, the numbers are 12 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Hispanics make up approximately 17 percent of the overall population aged 40 to 50, but just 9 percent of the upper middle class. The story is the opposite for blacks and Hispanics. The American upper middle class remains largely white: while 62 percent of Americans aged between 40 and 50 are white, 72 percent of those in the top fifth of the income distribution (for this age group) are white: (We restrict our analysis to this age cohort, because there are significant differences in the age profile of different racial groups).* Next we examine the racial composition of Americans in the top quintile of the household income distribution, for households headed by a person aged between 40 and 50. Whites and Asians overrepresented at the top In fact, Asians are now more likely than whites to be in the upper middle class (at least based on the figures from 2016): ![]() Again the exception is for Asians, of whom 29 percent were upper middle class in 2016, up from 19 percent in 2003. The proportion of black and Hispanic 40-somethings in the upper middle class has not increased in recent decades. These have been reasonably stable over time, with essentially no change in the proportion of whites between 19. How many are upper middle class?įirst we calculate the share of the people in each racial category who are in the top quintile. So: how white is the upper middle class (defined here, as in Dream Hoarders, as the top income quintile)? Is it less white than in the past? If so, which racial group or groups are moving onto the top ladder? These are the questions we address here. To qualify for middle-class designation, a household has to earn at least a six-digit income of $104,499.In a society moving towards greater racial equity as well as greater racial diversity, we would expect to see the uppermost classes becoming more heterogeneous. In Fremont, the median household income is $155,968. The highest middle class ceiling in the country is in the town of Fremont, California. In Arlington, about 76% of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is more than double the national average, according to SmartAsset. The upper threshold for middle class in Arlington is $251,302. 3 in the country for the cost to be in the middle class with a median household income of $125,651, meaning residents have to make at least $84,186 to be considered middle class. Virginia is much further down the list in 12th place, with a median income of $80,963, meaning a household has to make between $54,245.21 and $161,508 to be considered in the middle class.Īrlington is the exception to the numbers for the D.C. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.ĭ.C.’s median household income is only slightly lower at $90,088, making the range to be considered middle class between $60,359 and $180,176.
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