60% of Americans Identify as Working Class, Including Half of High-Income Households
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Sep 1
60% of Americans Identify as Working Class, Including Half of High-Income Households
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Sep 1
Summary
Pew found 60% of Americans called themselves working class in a January 2026 survey, up from 54% in 2024, with middle-income families most likely to use the label.
Half of high-income households earning more than $155,600 also identified that way, underscoring how broadly and ambiguously the term now resonates across income levels.
That shift comes even though median weekly earnings rose 8.4% from early 2024 to early 2026, ahead of 5.5% inflation, as many middle earners still report feeling financially strained and less secure.
Pew said inflation, affordability pressures and politics all shape the trend: Republicans are more likely than Democrats to claim the label, and the U.S. middle class has shrunk to 51% of the population from 61% in 1971.