Upper middle class
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2008-07-12T02:57:20Z
Ed Fitzgerald
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tag relocation, bottom hierarchy, spacing
[[Image:Waikiki-Vacation.JPG|thumb|250px|Vacations to destinations such as Hawaii, shown above, may be seen as a hallmark of the upper middle class.]]
The '''upper middle class''' is a sociological concept referring to the [[social group]] constituted by higher-status members of the [[middle class]]. This is in contrast to the term [[lower middle class]] used for the group at the other end of the middle class scale and the regular [[middle class]]. There is considerable debate as to how the upper middle class might be defined. According to [[Max Weber]] the upper middle class consists of well-educated professionals with graduate degrees and comfortable incomes.
The [[American middle class#Professional/Managerial middle class|American upper middle class]] is defined similarly using [[Income in the United States|income]], [[Educational attainment in the United States|education]] and occupation as main indicators.<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus | publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA| id = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref> In the United States, the upper middle class is defined as mostly consisting of white-collar professionals who have not only above-average [[Personal income in the United States|personal incomes]] and advanced [[Educational attainment in the United States|educational degrees]]<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus | publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA| id = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref> but also a high degree of autonomy in their work, leading to higher job satisfaction.<ref name="Occupation and Class Consciousness in America">{{cite book | last = Eichar | first = Douglas | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1989 | title = Occupation and Class Consciousness in America | publisher = Greenwood Press | location = Westport, Connecticut | id = 0-313-26111-3}}</ref> The main occupational tasks of upper middle class individuals tend to center on conceptualizing, consulting, and instruction.<ref name="The Inner Life of the Middle Class">{{cite book | last = Ehrenreich | first = Barbara | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1989 | title = Fear of Falling, The Inner Life of the Middle Class
| publisher = Harper Collins | location = New York, NY | id = 0-06-0973331}}</ref>
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==Professions==
Certain professions can be judged as "upper middle class" though any such measurement remains somewhat subjective because of people's differing perception of class. Most people in the upper-middle class strata are highly educated white collar [[professional class|professionals]] such as [[physicians]],<!-- "Physicians" includes Optometry and the like, no need to add all specialties --> [[lawyers]], [[economists]], [[accountants]], [[university]] [[professors]], [[architects]], [[psychologists]], [[scientists]], [[engineers]], [[Management|business managers]], [[dentists]], [[pharmacists]], high-level [[civil servants]] and the [[intelligentsia]]. Other common professions include [[corporate executive]] and [[entrepreneur|business owner]]. Generally, people in these professions have an advanced post-secondary education and a comfortable standard of living.<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus | publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA| id = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref>
==Values==
Most people encompassing this station in life have a high regard for higher education, and probably more than any other socio-economic class strive for themselves and their children to obtain graduate or at least four-year undergraduate degrees.
Additionally, they place a high value on travel, the arts, and [[high culture]] in general. This value also binds into the emphasis placed on education as foreign travel increases one's understanding of other cultures and helps create a global perspective.
In the U.S., the upper middle class is rather divided in terms of political ideology. [[Educational attainment in the United States|Education]] commonly increases the chance of a person's subscribing to liberal beliefs once they have reached the college level.<ref name="O'Bannon, B. R. (27 August, 2003). In Defense of the 'Liberal' Professor. ''Indianapolis Star''.">{{cite web|url=http://www.collegenews.org/x2782.xml|title=O'Bannon, B. R. (27 August, 2003). In Defense of the 'Liberal' Professor. ''Indianapolis Star''.|accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref> In terms of income, liberals tend to be tied with pro-business conservatives.<ref name="Pew Reasearch Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.">{{cite web|url=http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=945|title=Pew Reasearch Center. (10 May, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue.|accessdate=2007-07-12}}</ref> Most [[mass affluent]] households tend to be more right-leaning on fiscal issues but more left-leaning on social issues.<ref name="Arora, R. & Saad, L. (9 December, 2004). Marketing to the Mass Affluent. ''Gallup Management Journal''.">{{cite web|url=http://gmj.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=14293|title=, R. & Saad, L. (9 December, 2004). Marketing to the Mass Affluent. ''Gallup Management Journal''.|accessdate=2007-07-19}}</ref> The majority of college-educated professionals, who compose 15% of the population and 20% of the electorate, favor the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]].<ref name="Judis, B. J. (11 July, 2003). The trouble with Howard Dean. ''Salon.com''.">{{cite web|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/07/11/dean/index.html|title=Judis, B. J. (11 July, 2003). The trouble with Howard Dean. ''Salon.com''.|accessdate=2007-07-19}}</ref> The majority, between 50% and 60%, of households with incomes above $50,000 overall, not all of whom are upper middle class,<ref name="The American Class Structure"/> supported the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in the 2000, 2004 and 2006 elections.<ref name="CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/results/index.epolls.html|title=CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.|access date=2008-05-27}}</ref><ref name="CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/results/index.epolls.html|title=CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.|access date=2008-05-27}}</ref><ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html|title=CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.|access date=2008-05-27}}</ref> [[Academia]] and those with graduate degrees overall favor the Democratic Party.<ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html|title=CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref><ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html|title=CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>
In 2005, 72% of full-time faculty members at four-year institutions, the majority of whom would be considered upper middle class,<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus
| publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA | id = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref> identified as liberal.<ref name="Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html|title=Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.|accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref>
Education plays a major role in determining tastes and ideologies in this class. A graduate degree, and often even more higher education, is a prerequisite to work in one of the traditional "professions" and as a result this segment of the upper middle class is generally more liberal in their political ideologies and more urbane in their tastes. Corporate members of the upper middle class, on the other hand, may have a less advanced higher education (they may have worked their way up to their current social station from an entry-level corporate position). It should be noted, however, that many business persons do have advanced post-secondary education, most notably those with MBAs. Furthermore, in some cases professionals such as chemists or economists may be employed by private businesses and have managerial duties aside from their professional research duties.
The upper middle class is often the group that shapes society and brings [[social movements]] to the forefront. Movements such as the [[Peace movement|Peace Movement]], The [[Anti-nuclear|Anti-Nuclear]] Movement, [[Environmentalism]], the Anti-[[tobacco smoking|Smoking]] movement, and even in the past with [[Blue law]]s and the [[Temperance movement]] are all products of the upper middle class. Some claim this is because this is the largest class (and the lowest class) with any true political power for positive change, while others claim some of the more restrictive social movements (such as with smoking and drinking) are based upon "saving people from themselves."<ref name="The Inner Life of the Middle Class">{{cite book | last = Ehrenreich | first = Barbara | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1989 | title = Fear of Falling, The Inner Life of the Middle Class
| publisher = Harper Collins | location = New York, NY | id = 0-06-0973331}}</ref>
==American upper middle class==<!-- This section is linked from [[Culture of the United States]] -->
:''See [[American middle class#The Professional/Managerial middle class|American Professional/Managerial middle class]] for a complete overview of the American middle classes.''<br>
[[Image:Campus Spring.jpg|thumb|250px|Advanced education is one of the most distinguishing features of the upper middle class.]]
[[Image:Salinas Office.jpg|thumb|250px|The American upper middle class consists mostly of salaried white collar professionals.]]
In the United States the term [[American middle class|middle class]] and its subdivisions are an extremely vague concept as neither economists nor sociologists have precisely defined the term.<ref name="Middle class according to The Drum Major Institute for public policy">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/middleclassoverview.html|title=Middle class according to The Drum Major Institute for public policy|accessdate=2006-07-25}}</ref> There are several perceptions of the upper middle class and what the term means. In academic models the term applies to highly educated salaried professionals whose work is largely self-directed. Many have graduate degrees with educational attainment serving as the main distinguishing feature of this class. Household incomes commonly may exceed $100,000, with some smaller one-income earners earning incomes in the high 5-figure range.<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus
| publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA | id = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref><ref name="The American Class Structure">{{cite book | last = Gilbert | first = Dennis | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1998 | title = The American Class Structure | publisher = Wadsworth Publishing | location = New York | id = 0-534-50520-1}}</ref>
{{cquote|
"The upper middle class has grown...and its composition has changed. Increasingly salaried managers and professionals have replaced individual business owners and independent professionals. The key to the success of the upper middle class is the growing importance of educational certification...its lifestyles and opinions are becoming increasingly normative for the whole society. It is in fact a porous class, open to people...who earn the right credentials. "- Dennis Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 1998.<ref name="The American Class Structure">{{cite book | last = Gilbert | first = Dennis | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1998 | title = The American Class Structure | publisher = Wadsworth Publishing | location = New York | id = 0-534-50520-1}}</ref>
}}
In addition to having autonomy in their work, above-average incomes, and advanced educations, the upper middle class also tends to be influential, setting trends and largely shaping public opinion.<ref name="The American Class Structure">{{cite book | last = Gilbert | first = Dennis | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1998 | title = The American Class Structure | publisher = Wadsworth Publishing | location = New York | id = 0-534-50520-1}}</ref><ref name="The Inner Life of the Middle Class">{{cite book | last = Ehrenreich | first = Barbara | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1989 | title = Fear of Falling, The Inner Life of the Middle Class | publisher = Harper Collins | location = New York, NY | id = 0-06-0973331}}</ref> Overall, members of this class are also secure from economic down-turns and, unlike their counterparts in the [[Income quintiles|statistical middle class]], do not need to fear downsizing, corporate cost-cutting, or outsourcing -- an economic benefit largely attributable to their [[Academic degrees|graduate degrees]] and [[Household income in the United States|comfortable incomes]], likely in the [[Income quintiles|top income quintile]] or [[Household income in the United States|top third]].<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus | publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA| id = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref> Typical professions for this class include [[professor]]s, [[accountant]]s, [[architect]]s, [[urban planner]]s, [[engineer]]s, [[economist]]s, [[pharmacist]]s, [[political science|political scientists]], [[physician]]s and [[lawyer]]s.<ref name="The Inner Life of the Middle Class">{{cite book | last = Ehrenreich | first = Barbara | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1989 | title = Fear of Falling, The Inner Life of the Middle Class | publisher = Harper Collins | location = New York, NY | id = 0-06-0973331}}</ref><ref name="Professional Occupations according to the US Department of Labor">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm|title=Professional Occupations according to the US Department of Labor|accessdate=2006-07-26}}</ref>
===Income===
{{see|Affluence in the United States|Household income in the United States|Personal income in the United States}}
While many Americans see [[Income in the United States|income]] as the prime determinant of class, occupational status, [[Educational attainment in the United States|educational attainment]], and value systems are equally important. Income is in part determined by the scarcity of certain skill sets.<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus As a result an occupation that requires a scarce skill, the attainment of which is often achieved through an [[Educational attainment in the United States|educational degree]], and entrusts its occupant with a high degree of influence will usually offer high economic compensation. The high [[Income in the United States|income]] is meant to ensure that individuals obtain the necessary skills (e.g. medical or graduate school) and complete their tasks with the necessary valor.<ref name="Social Class and Stratification">{{cite book | last = Levine | first = Rhonda | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1998 | title = Social Class and Stratification
| publisher = Rowman & Littlefield | location = Lanham, MD | id = 0-8476-8543-8}}</ref> There are also differences between [[Household income in the United States|household]] and [[Personal income in the United States|individual income]]. In 2005, 42% of US households (76% among the [[Income quintiles|top quintile]]) had two or more [[income earner]]s; as a result, 18% of households but only 5% of individuals had [[six figure income]]s.<ref name="US Census Bureau, income quintile and top 5% household income distribution and demographic characteristics, 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/hhinc/new05_000.htm|title=US Census Bureau, income quintile and top 5% [[Household income in the United States|household income distribution]] and demographic characteristics, 2006|accessdate=2006-12-28}}</ref> To illustrate, two nurses each making $55,000 per year can out-earn, in a household sense, a single attorney who makes a median of $95,000 annually.<ref name="US Department of Labor, median income of registered nurses">{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm#earnings|title=US Department of Labor, median income of registered nurses|accessdate=2007-01-02}}</ref><ref name="Bureau of Labor statistics data published by Monster.com, 20 highest paying jobs">{{cite web|url=http://content.salary.monster.com/articles/salary/highestpay/|title=Bureau of Labor statistics data published by Monster.com, 20 highest paying jobs|accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref>
Sociologists Dennis Gilbert, Willam Thompson and Joseph Hickey estimate the upper middle class to constitute roughly 15% of the population. Using the 15% figure one may conclude that the American upper middle class consists, strictly in an income sense, of professionals with [[Personal income in the United States|personal incomes]] in excess of $62,500, who commonly reside in households with six figure incomes.<ref name="US Census Bureau, income quintile and top 5% household income distribution and demographic characteristics, 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/hhinc/new05_000.htm|title=US Census Bureau, income quintile and top 5% [[Household income in the United States|household income distribution]] and demographic characteristics, 2006|accessdate=2006-12-28}}</ref><ref name="US Census Bureau, distribution of personal income, 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/perinc/new01_001.htm|title=US Census Bureau, distribution of personal income, 2006|accessdate=2006-12-09}}</ref><ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = Society in Focus | publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA| id = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref><ref name="The American Class Structure">{{cite book | last = Gilbert | first = Dennis | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 1998 | title = The American Class Structure | publisher = Wadsworth Publishing | location = New York | id = 0-534-50520-1}}</ref> The difference between personal and household income can be explained by considering that 76% of households with incomes exceeding $90,000 (the top 20%) had two or more income earners.<ref name="US Census Bureau, income quintile and top 5% household income distribution and demographic characteristics, 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/hhinc/new05_000.htm|title=US Census Bureau, income quintile and top 5% [[Household income in the United States|household income distribution]] and demographic characteristics, 2006|accessdate=2006-12-28}}</ref>
{| class=wikitable
!Data
!Top third
!Top quarter
!Top quintile
!Top 15%
!Top 10%
!Top 5%
|-
!colspan=10|[[Household income in the United States|Household income]]<ref name="US Census Bureau, overall household income distribution, 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/hhinc/new06_000.htm|title=US Census Bureau, overall household income distribution, 2006|accessdate=2006-12-28}}</ref>
|-
|Lower threshold (annual gross income)||$65,000||$80,000||$91,705||$100,000||$118,200||$166,200
|-
|Exact Percentage of households ||34.72%||25.60%||20.00%||17.80%||10.00%||5.00%
|-
!colspan=10|[[Personal income in the United States|Personal income]] (age 25+)<ref name="US Census Bureau, personal income distribution, age 25+, 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/perinc/new03_001.htm|title=US Census Bureau, personal income distribution, age 25+, 2006|accessdate=2006-12-28}}</ref>
|-
|Lower threshold (annual gross income)||$37,500||$47,500||$52,500||$62,500||$75,000||$100,000
|-
|Exact Percentage of individuals||33.55%||24.03%||19.74%||14.47%||10.29%||5.63%
|-
|}
'''SOURCE: US Census Bureau, 2006'''<ref name="US Census Bureau, personal income distribution, age 25+, 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/perinc/new03_001.htm|title=US Census Bureau, personal income distribution, age 25+, 2006|accessdate=2006-12-28}}</ref><ref name="US Census Bureau, overall household income distribution, 2006">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/hhinc/new06_000.htm|title=US Census Bureau, overall household income distribution, 2006|accessdate=2006-12-28}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Middle class]]
*[[Social class]]
*[[Bourgeois personality]]
===United States===
*[[Affluence in the United States]]
*[[American middle class]]
*[[Educational attainment in the United States]]
*[[Household income in the United States]]
*[[Personal income in the United States]]
*[[Social structure of the United States]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://countrystudies.us/colombia/40.htm Definition of Middle Class stratification]
*[http://www.expandglobal.com/General_info/education_and_income.htm Relationship between income and education]
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{{Socialclass}}
=====tags:=====
{{globalize}}
{{POV|date=December 2007}}
[[Category:Social classes]]
[[Category:Social groups]]
[[fr:Classe moyenne supérieure]]
[[nl:Hogere middenklasse (sociaal-economisch)]]
[[ja:アッパーミドル階級]]
[[sh:Viša srednja klasa]]