At what HHI did you stop feeling middle class?

[Anonymous]

The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

Same. That’s when I stopped looking at prices or thinking at all about money, really. Of course that is paired with my relatively modest taste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

[Anonymous]

Well, now I'm even more depressed...

[Anonymous]

125. You all are scary wealthy and not middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

What makes you feel middle class at your current income? I’m guessing you have (or could have) a nice house in a good school district and/or private school, you have a large grocery / eating out budget, you buy all the things your family needs, you go on regular vacations, you have two cars at least one of them less than 5 years old, you save a lot for retirement (probably max your 401k/tsp/IRA/etc…)

What’s missing from your life?

Genuinely curious because I’m at that level and have the above which feels pretty comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

What makes you feel middle class at your current income? I’m guessing you have (or could have) a nice house in a good school district and/or private school, you have a large grocery / eating out budget, you buy all the things your family needs, you go on regular vacations, you have two cars at least one of them less than 5 years old, you save a lot for retirement (probably max your 401k/tsp/IRA/etc…)

What’s missing from your life?

Genuinely curious because I’m at that level and have the above which feels pretty comfortable.

For me it’s the vacations. Middle of the road hotels feel middle class now.

[Anonymous]

It really depends how long you've been making the high income. Often the first few years of "professional pay" are following years in school and coincide with people starting families. So a couple can hit $400k HHI, but have $400k in educational debt and are very behind on retirement, be living in a pricy apartment near work, have two giant daycare bills for downtown centers, extra childcare bills to cover their intense work hours, lots of convenience food costs to support two busy careers with little kids, plus feel a need to save for a house down-payment (and potentially another car to shift to the suburbs), plus then furniture and tools to support the new house, etc. It's an expensive time of life. Ask the same couple 10 years later and they'll be much more comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

What makes you feel middle class at your current income? I’m guessing you have (or could have) a nice house in a good school district and/or private school, you have a large grocery / eating out budget, you buy all the things your family needs, you go on regular vacations, you have two cars at least one of them less than 5 years old, you save a lot for retirement (probably max your 401k/tsp/IRA/etc…)

What’s missing from your life?

Genuinely curious because I’m at that level and have the above which feels pretty comfortable.

For me it’s the vacations. Middle of the road hotels feel middle class now.

You could easily spend $10-30K on vacations a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really depends how long you've been making the high income. Often the first few years of "professional pay" are following years in school and coincide with people starting families. So a couple can hit $400k HHI, but have $400k in educational debt and are very behind on retirement, be living in a pricy apartment near work, have two giant daycare bills for downtown centers, extra childcare bills to cover their intense work hours, lots of convenience food costs to support two busy careers with little kids, plus feel a need to save for a house down-payment (and potentially another car to shift to the suburbs), plus then furniture and tools to support the new house, etc. It's an expensive time of life. Ask the same couple 10 years later and they'll be much more comfortable.

They should not have taken so much debt, should have waited to have kids, and made different choices. Something is wrong if you cannot live comfortably on that even with the debt. We'd be very comfortable and we are comfortable making less than half of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

What makes you feel middle class at your current income? I’m guessing you have (or could have) a nice house in a good school district and/or private school, you have a large grocery / eating out budget, you buy all the things your family needs, you go on regular vacations, you have two cars at least one of them less than 5 years old, you save a lot for retirement (probably max your 401k/tsp/IRA/etc…)

What’s missing from your life?

Genuinely curious because I’m at that level and have the above which feels pretty comfortable.

For me it’s the vacations. Middle of the road hotels feel middle class now.

You could easily spend $10-30K on vacations a year.

This makes sense, our vacation spend has increased a lot over the last 10 years. We stay in nicer hotels, eat at nice restaurants, buy new clothes for the trip, etc… definitely adds up more than it used to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

Oh sweetie, you’re doing it wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

What makes you feel middle class at your current income? I’m guessing you have (or could have) a nice house in a good school district and/or private school, you have a large grocery / eating out budget, you buy all the things your family needs, you go on regular vacations, you have two cars at least one of them less than 5 years old, you save a lot for retirement (probably max your 401k/tsp/IRA/etc…)

What’s missing from your life?

Genuinely curious because I’m at that level and have the above which feels pretty comfortable.

For me it’s the vacations. Middle of the road hotels feel middle class now.

You could easily spend $10-30K on vacations a year.

This makes sense, our vacation spend has increased a lot over the last 10 years. We stay in nicer hotels, eat at nice restaurants, buy new clothes for the trip, etc… definitely adds up more than it used to.

Oh my... you don't get you are rich?

[Anonymous]

When you say “middle class” do you mean old days middle class, or nowadays middle class? There’s a difference. Nowadays middle class are actually pretty poor…struggling to pay bills and clipping coupons and forgoing college and health care because both are astronomical. In the old days middle class had the Subaru and took a summer vacation and so forth. Anyway, I agree with around $400k.