What is Class?By Eric Bentley

Amber DickersonGiovannyPerdomo

Tim MatchettNick DeFilipo

Scott Donocoff

What is Social Class?Social class defines people in arrangements of

various economic or cultural groups.

The United States is one of the most common countries that has a variety of social classes

Only about 1% of the US are considered as upper class.

BreakdownHere shows the breakdown of class

percentages in the United States.

1% 15%

32%32%

20%

Upper Class Upper -Middle ClassLower-Middle ClassWorking ClassLower Class

Breakdown (cont.)

Upper ClassOnly about 1% Of US Population are

considered Upper ClassTop-level executives, celebrities, heirs; income

of $500,000+ common. Ivy league education common.

Are mostly looked up to by Upper-Middle, Lower-Middle, Working, and Lower Class

Considered as “old money”, People in this class and their generations stay in this class.

Considered as “super rich”.

Upper Class (cont.)

Upper-Middle ClassHighly educated (often with graduate

degrees) professionals & managers with household incomes varying from the high 5-figure range to commonly above $100,000.

This class is sometimes considered as “rich”.White collar professionals such as physicians,

professors, lawyers, doctors, etc.Almost always requires High Educational

attainment.

Upper-Middle Class (cont.)

Lower-Middle ClassSome College Education or Bachelors DegreeGeneral income in the range of $30,000-

$75,000Made up of School teachers, Salesman, and

lower to mid-level supervisors.

Lower-Middle Class

Working ClassIndividuals who occupy both blue and white

collar occupations. Pink collar workers in predominantly female

clerical positions are common in this class. Job security tends to be low for this group and

unemployment as well as losing health insurance remain potent economic threats.

Household incomes typically range from $16,000 to $30,000.

Working Class (cont.)

Lower ClassHave repeated cycles of unemployment,

working multiple low-level part-time jobs are common among this group.

Many families fall below the poverty line from time to time when employment opportunities are scarce.

Incomes less than $16,000 a year.

Lower Class (cont.)

Why Is Class Important?Class is important because it not only

separates us, but brings us together as Americans. Although the idea of class has changed over the years, the idea is still the same. Earlier, Class was usually defined by your culture and religion in the United States. Because mostly everyone was in more of the same wealth range as each other. As the years went on, and the wealth among America expanded, then the class system changed, and became more widely spread out.

Why is Class Important?(cont.)Today, even though many people strive to be

in the upper class or even upper-middle class; for some, it is a hard goal to achieve. The American dream was once to just own a house and have a healthy family. Now, it’s to have that, and a BMW. If there wasn’t such a separation between classes then the country would be torn from the inside out, having lower class citizens not working the jobs needed for the stability of the working world or stability of the economy too.

Why is Class Important (cont.)To have a successful economy you need to

have lower class and working class citizens, because they do the jobs needed for everyone else in the country (e.g. Public Transportation), if we had no lower or working class nobody would want these jobs and it would hurt not only themselves but everyone who relies on it.