Defining the Upper Class

Do you define yourself as "upper income"? According to a 2018 report from the Pew Research Center, 19 percent of American adults live in “upper-income households.” The median income of that group was $187,872 in 2016.

Pew defines the upper class as adults whose annual household income is more than double the national median. That’s after incomes have been adjusted for household size, since smaller households require less money to support the same lifestyle as larger ones.

Here’s the minimum amount you’d have to earn each year to be considered upper-class, depending on the size of your household:

• Household of one: Minimum of $78,281 
• Household of two: Minimum of $110,706
• Household of three: Minimum of $135,586 
• Household of four: Minimum of $156,561
• Household of five: Minimum of $175,041