Pew Research Center has released a report documenting the state of the American middle class and how it has changed over the past 50 years.
The total share of Americans in the middle class has dropped from 61 percent of all households in 1971 to 51 percent in 2023. In comparison, the share of lower-income households has increased from 27 percent to 30 percent and the share of upper-income Americans increased from 11 percent to 19 percent over the same time period. While all households have higher, inflation-adjusted incomes today than the 1970s, the American upper-class has notably increased their incomes by 78 percent, compared to a 60 percent increase for the middle-class and a 55 percent increase for the lower-class.
When broken down by race, the inequity in American household income is stark. For all American households in 2022, roughly 30 percent are low-income, 52 percent are middle-income, and 17 percent are upper-income. Among all White American households, 24 percent are low-income, 55 percent are middle-income, and 21 percent are upper-income.
In comparison, about 45 percent of Black Americans are low-income, 46 percent are middle-income, and 9 percent are upper-income. Black Americans and American Indians or Alaska Natives are the least likely racial groups to be middle-income and the most likely groups to be lower-income.
