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[quote=Anonymous][quote] I make $200k have two DCs under 4 (relevant because child care costs directly affect disposable income available) and think we fall in upper middle income for the area.[/quote]

[quote]Then I guess the question is - did OP mean middle class I the DC metro area or for the entire US. I don't dispute my income and $500k house would put me as high income in 95% of the US, but not here. Here I'm mid to upper middle class. [/quote]

[quote]HHI is 230k. After 2 daycare expenses, a mortgage underwater, student loans- I'm definitely middle class in this area.[/quote]

HHI of $200K in the DC metro area puts you in the top 13% of incomes.

cite: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-04-21/local/35451899_1_household-income-income-data-income-inequality

In the VA Suburbs, DC , and MD suburbs other than PG county, a HHI of $250K puts you in the top 5% of local incomes.
cite: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census-high-income/

6 of the 10 highest HHI counties in the country are in the DC area, and the highest median HHI for those is still less than $120K (in Loudon county).  cite: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanriper/2013/04/25/americas-richest-counties/)

So no, people making $200K or $230K are not middle class, even in DC. I get that you're not rich-we make $240K ourselves and I don't feel rich, but I do know that I am very, very fortunate and have more than many, many people. So, I know that to many people, I probably look rich. I think it just depends on definitions of that word.

Several years ago, the NY Times created an interactive graphic that tells you what class you are based on occupation, income, wealth, and education. It defines class by quintiles--lower, lower middle, middle, upper middle, and top 5th. It's a few years old, so the $ amounts are likely a little off, but it's still interesting as a way to answer OP's original question of "How do I know if I am middle class?": http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/national/20050515_CLASS_GRAPHIC/index_03.html[/quote]

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