A Brief History Of The American Middle Class

[one...two...tree 2,762]

A family in front of their home in a new housing development.

By Claire Suddath, Time

"America's middle class is hurting," said Vice President Joe Biden last month when he announced the formation of a Middle Class Task Force, which will meet for the first time on Feb. 27. The recession, with its job losses, mortgage defaults and stock market tumbles, has threatened Americans' abilities to make ends meet. "It is our charge to get the middle class — the backbone of this country — up and running again," the Vice President declared, and one could practically hear the cheers emanating from single family homes with two car garages. But what exactly is the American middle class?

Class is an inherently nebulous concept, and although the U.S. government defines poverty (presently it's anything under $22,000 for a family of four) it does not define what it means to be middle class. The U.S. Census Bureau says the median income in the U.S. is about $51,000 a year, but how far does the "middle" stretch? According to a 2008 Pew Research Center survey, half of Americans self-identify as middle class. (See pictures of Americans at home.)

Our modern image of the middle class comes from the post-World War II era. The 1944 G.I. Bill provided returning veterans with money for college, businesses and home mortgages. Suddenly, millions of servicemen were able to afford homes of their own for the first time. As a result, residential construction jumped from 114,000 new homes in 1944 to 1.7 million in 1950. In 1947, William Levitt turned 4,000 acres of Long Island potato farms into the then-largest privately planned housing project in American history. With thirty houses built in assembly-line fashion every day — each with a tree in the front yard — the American subdivision was born.

Then came the cars. And the backyard barbecues. And the black and white TVs. Ozzy and Harriet, Lucy and Ricky, Leave it to Beaver. In September 1958, Bank of America tested its first 60,000 credit cards (later named Visa) in Fresno, California. Within a decade, Americans had signed up for over 100 million credit cards. Today, the number tops 1 billion. African Americans were able to pull themselves into the middle class bracket through the social gains of the civil rights movement, though a disproportionate number still live below the poverty line. (Read the 1974 TIME article, "America's Rising Black Middle Class.")

Today, most middle class Americans are homeowners. They have mortgages, at least some college education, and a professional or managerial job that earns them somewhere between $30,00 and $100,000 a year. Although the suburban stereotype still holds, the middle class is just as likely to be found in urban centers (rural, not so much). 70% of them have cable and two or more cars. Two-thirds have high-speed Internet and 40% own a flat screen TV. They have several credit cards each and a lot of "luxury" goods, but they still believe that others have more than they do. In 1970, TIME described middle America as people who "sing the national anthem at football games — and mean it."

That might be because the middle class is slightly more conservative than liberal (over half oppose gay marriage). Yet they are split fairly evenly between political parties and can often swing an election because — duh — there are so many of them. They went for Bush in 2004 and Obama in 2008. When Ronald Reagan asked Americans in 1980, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" he was speaking to the middle class. A 1979 public opinion survey found a rising number of middle class Americans felt that their lives were getting worse, and it was with those people that his words resonated. In 1997, in the middle of the dot-com bubble but before Monica Lewinsky, middle class optimism hit a record high — 57% felt they were moving upward — but it has been sliding back down ever since. A 2008 survey found that roughly half of Americans think they've made no progress and 31% consider themselves worse off than they were five years ago. (See pictures of crime in Middle America.)

Vice President Biden attempted to define middle class Americans as people who would find it difficult to miss more than two paychecks, and he wasn't far off; with wage increases failing to keep pace with inflation, about 21% of middle class Americans have spent themselves to the limit. Personal bankruptcies rose by a third last year and mortgage defaults — well, they're moving beyond subprime and hitting borrowers with previously high credit scores. On Feb. 27, Biden and eight members of his task force, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will meet at the University of Pennsylvania to discuss the rescue of the middle class. Their first task? Creating green jobs. The committee believes that building environmentally friendly homes will help decrease middle class homeowners' electricity and heating bills. That is, of course, if they have a home they can still afford.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,...1882147,00.html

[_Simpson_ 250]

"America's middle class is hurting," said Vice President Joe Biden last month when he announced the formation of a Middle Class Task Force

A task force, I almost fell of my chair laughing but then realized oh dear god Biden is serious.

Edited February 27, 2009 by looking_up

[Jasman0717 9]

I grew up in a house that is about half the size of my condo and my folks were considered middle class way back then. I guess they will let anybody in the club

[Nagishkaw 510]

I grew up in a house that is about half the size of my condo and my folks were considered middle class way back then. I guess they will let anybody in the club

I grew up in a house half the size of the one pictured, and we were considered middle class at the time, as well.

[peejay 327]

You don't even see new homes in Houston the size pictured. Lots of 2 story McMansions now days. You would have to travel away from the ex-burbs back into what was the suburbs of the late 1940's or 1950's of the city to find that small of home (2-BR). The home pictured is likely a 2 bedroom model. I lived in some 2 BR houses when I was a wee kid. So did my mom's sister and my uncle. My mom's sister lived in a 2 BR house until she died in the mid 1980's.

I grew up most of my life in a slightly bigger sized home (about 1900 sq. ft.) my dad bought for roughly $16,000 at something like 4-6% interest in the mid 1960's. We lived in even smaller homes previous to that. My dad's first home he bought on the GI Bill, but when he sold it to move the new owner assumed the payments and afterward he had to get conventional loans.

I now live in a house similar to what I grew up in built in 1960 and I bought it in 1994 for $66,000. They are now selling for $120,000 - $150,000. 3-BR, 2-Bath, Den, Living room, and Kitchen with a detatched 2 car garage. About 1900 sq. ft. house not including the garage.

I'll admit to being middle class. No shame in that.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

If Barry has his way, the history of the American Middle Class will indeed be brief.

[Yoink 7]

Levitown today looks like upper-lower-class...

[Jasman0717 9]

I grew up in a house that is about half the size of my condo and my folks were considered middle class way back then. I guess they will let anybody in the club

I grew up in a house half the size of the one pictured, and we were considered middle class at the time, as well.