OK, I realize that there are four classes in a sense for the US not considering race only economic status. Working middle class(makes 25k-up) 60% Working poor 30% (includes 5 year welfare etc, single moms, retired into poverty, SocSec poor) Investor class (includes small business owner, RE, stocks annuities, trust fund babies etc) 10% (or 9.5 to be precise) . . Super rich (0.5% of the nation or less) Anyone care to guess the percentage break down for the first 3 groups? My guesstimate is posted but I am very unsure)
You can check the latest Almanac for those figures. The U.S. Census Bureau also has an excellent demographics breakdown. I did a report on this for a class. Basically, approximately 10% of the US population owns 90% of all the stuff. The other 10% of stuff is divided accordingly through other classes. I'm not exactly sure of my class, but it would probably be considered upper-middle. It is amazing how the demographics scales, though. I once dated a girl who was from a lower-upper class family and was amazed at all the "stuff" they had. I also briefly saw a girl from a "middle-upper" class, which made the other one seem poor. I have been to homes in the upper-upper class, consisting of a 80 room mansion on Long Island that was a remodeled home of one of Rockefellers summer homes (if I remember correctly). This was a huge (understatement) mansion with a garden in the back that reminded me of the things you see from pure royalty (in the movies). In retrospect, I must admit that it is fascinating to engage with people from all walks of life. My very first girlfriend's parents were upper-lower to lower-middle class -- but she was quite a girl. Money is amazing, but after you've seen all scales in life, you realize that money is ... well ... only money. I deal with rich people every day in the golf business, and it is refreshing to occasionally meet a wealthy person that hasn't been consumed by money. Many others will coat themselves in this "air of royalty" because of wealth. As long as I can afford unlimited vacations to Amsterdam, I am a happy camper!