The Middle Class has felt the brunt of the financial crisis, they are heavily taxed and don't have any handouts like the poor. While the 1% gets get even richer by squeezing the middle class with their overpriced products and services. People in the middle class are not rich, nor poor. They have income and some savings. Expert says that the middle class is gauged by having the median household income of $51,939 annually so it is safe to say that a family who is in between the 25th percentile and 75th percentile can be considered as middle class.
In 2013, the income of the median U.S. household was $51,900, it has not changed from 2012. If you adjust it for inflation it is 8% lower than in 2007, before the recession began. It has not increase since the recession ended in 2009.
If you can save 1/3 of your income after food, mortgage or rent, utilities, and grocery bills you can consider yourself a middle class.
The middle class has certainly changed, their purchasing power is decreasing, WallSt Cheat Sheet listed 7 items that the middle class can no longer afford.
1. Vacations - middle class can no longer afford to have a vacation, they would have to sacrifice something just to have it. Statistics shows that 54% of people gave up purchasing TVs or other electronics items just to go on a vacation.
2. New vehicles - with the high prices of new cars and trucks today the middle class simply cannot afford them.
3. Pay off debt - a lot of middle class workers are having difficulty paying off student loans, mortgages, car loan, and medical debts.
4. Emergency savings - emergency funds are put up as a safety net to protect our finances if we found ourselves out of work, medical expense, or other events that can leave you bankrupt. Most middle class today don't have 6 months emergency fund, and others have no emergency funds at all.
5. Retirement savings - Social Security is not enough to cover basic needs which is why this is really important to have a retirement fund however, middle class just can't afford to save for retirement.
6. Medical care - According to Feeding America, 66% of US family had to choose between paying for foodstuff or to pay for medical care, while 31% say they have to make that choice each and every month.
7. Dental work - U.S. Department of Health and Human Service said that about 108 million individuals in the U.S. don't have dental coverage and even those who are covered are having trouble getting the care they need.
