This statistic shows the percentage distribution of the U.S. adult population from 1971 to 2015, by income tier. In 2015, about 50 percent of U.S. adult residents were part of the middle class.
This study defined middle class income households as those with an income between 67 and 200 percent of the U.S. median household income, after adjustment for household size. Middle class income ranges from about 42,000 U.S. dollars to about 126,000 U.S. dollars per year for a three-person household.
Percentage of U.S. adult population from 1971 to 2015, by income tier
Income Thresholds:
Lowest income class: Less than 31,402 U.S. dollars
Lower middle income class: 31,402 - 41,868 U.S. dollars
Middle income class: 41,869 - 125,608 U.S. dollars
Upper middle income class: 125,609 - 188,412 U.S. dollars
Upper income class: More than 188,412 U.S. dollars.
The income refers to annual household income for a three-person household.
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Pew Research Center. (December 9, 2015). Percentage of U.S. adult population from 1971 to 2015, by income tier [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/500249/share-of-us-adult-population-by-income-tier/
Pew Research Center. "Percentage of U.S. adult population from 1971 to 2015, by income tier." Chart. December 9, 2015. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/500249/share-of-us-adult-population-by-income-tier/
Pew Research Center. (2015). Percentage of U.S. adult population from 1971 to 2015, by income tier. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/500249/share-of-us-adult-population-by-income-tier/
Pew Research Center. "Percentage of U.S. Adult Population from 1971 to 2015, by Income Tier." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Dec 2015, https://www.statista.com/statistics/500249/share-of-us-adult-population-by-income-tier/
Pew Research Center, Percentage of U.S. adult population from 1971 to 2015, by income tier Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/500249/share-of-us-adult-population-by-income-tier/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Percentage of U.S. adult population from 1971 to 2015, by income tier [Graph], Pew Research Center, December 9, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/500249/share-of-us-adult-population-by-income-tier/
