Large racial gaps remain in the United States, including disturbing difference s in economic mobility and wealth between Black and white Americans. Asian Americans make up eight percent of the fourth quintile, six percent of the middle quintile, and six percent of the second quintile.įar more to do to ensure equal opportunity Thirteen percent of the fourth quintile is comprised of Hispanic Ameri cans, compared to 18 percent of the middle quintile and 24 percent of the second quintile. This phenomenon is even more pron ounced for Hispanic Americans. Black Americans account for about nine percent of the fourth quintile, twelve percent of the middle quintile, and 15 percent of the second quintile. Black and Hispanic Americans have the opposite gradient. White Americans comprise almost two-thirds of the fourth quintile compared to 59 percent and 51 percent for the middle and second quintiles, respectively. Recall that our definition of the middle class is the middle 60 percent of the income distribution, so the middle class is represent ed by the second, middle, and fourth quintile s. Below we break the income distribution into five equal buckets, or quintiles. While the composition of the middle class broadly reflects the diversity of the country, there is variation within the middle class, however. ”ĭifferences within the middle class remain In 201 9, the middle class was 59 percent white, 12 percent Black, 18 percent Hispanic, and ten percent “other. In 1979, the middle class was 84 percent white, nine percent Black, five percent Hispanic, and two percent “other.” Over time, the middle class has become much more race – plural. In order to compare trends over time, then, we are restricted to the categorization of earlier survey years.įour decades ago, the vast majority of the middle class was white. F or example, “ Asian or Pacific Islander” was not a n option until 1988. Information on race is somewhat limited in earlier years of the Current Population Survey. American m iddle c lass is n ow f ar m ore d iverseīelow we show the racial composition of the middle class in 1979 compared to 201 9. In the work of the Future of the Middle Class Initiative, we define the middle class as the middle 60 percent of the income distribution.įor the analysis here, we further restrict our definition to individuals aged 25-54, what economists often call “prime age.” We do this as a crude control for dynamics around age and income – specifically as these dynamics differ between racial groups. There are myriad definitions of the middle class based on cash, credentials, or culture. Even if we focus just on income, there are at least a dozen definitions. And it is important to get the facts straight, too: the middle class, by our definition, is highly racially diverse – and rapidly becoming more so.Ī policy agenda to help the middle class, then, is one to help Americans of all races. It is vitally important, then, to think about both race and class, and the way these two dimensions of inequality interact (we’d add gender too, but that’s for another day).
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