Define middle class in Seattle
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sid
Bubble Watcher
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:18 pm
Posts: 40
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 Define middle class in Seattle Is a single 30 year old in Seattle with a 100K salary upper middle class? I definitely think so. Most folks at my work don't think so - consider this to be just middle class. What do folks here say?
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| Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:53 pm |
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Alan
Bubble Banter Boss
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:08 pm
Posts: 780
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Middle middle class if you are single.
Lower middle class if you are married with children.
Upper middle class earns around $300k.
If you earn more than $300k then you are upper class.
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| Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:12 pm |
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sid
Bubble Watcher
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:18 pm
Posts: 40
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Alan wrote: Upper middle class earns around $300k What percentage of people/households in seattle do you think are upper middle class (~$300K)?
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| Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:29 pm |
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Alan
Bubble Banter Boss
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:08 pm
Posts: 780
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Quote: What percentage of people/households in seattle do you think are upper middle class (~$300K)? Maybe 0.5%
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:19 am |
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biliruben
Bubble Banter Boss
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 4:31 pm
Posts: 575
Location: Lake City
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Didn't you get the memo? We are a classless society! At least the guys with the money want you to think so. They prefer to keep you sniping at eachother about race or your political views. Keep your mind off the fact that your salary has been declining for a decade. Here's the income distributions
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 5:49 am |
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Civil Servant
Bubble Blatherer
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:05 am
Posts: 93
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle (I love this topic.) I went out with some lawyers last week and one of them remarked in passing that her pre-law school salary of $80K was "not a living wage" in Seattle. Keep in mind too that this was $80K three or four years ago. Bartender, I'll have another one, please.
It is remarkable to me though how many people I meet in Seattle who are at least this well off (the lawyer's husband probably makes about $80K - $90K) and insist that they are middle class at best, barely making it. Even when they've bought their houses years and years ago, even when said houses are fully paid off. This is the only city I've lived in as an adult. If you'll forgive my naivete, is it like this everywhere? I feel like such a rube -- way back when I was a freshly minted state-school liberal arts grad, I never dreamed I'd be making what I am today and have a job with even more upward potential. I'm sure my parents would be really proud of my success, based on that number. I live well if judiciously and save a bundle. So it's disconcerting when friends suggest that by the prevalent standard I am nearly impoverished.
My own answer to Sid's question is Hell yes. But I suspect that *among* single 30-year-olds making in the range of $100K, the consensus is no. Sid, do you work in law or software/IT?
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:05 am |
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rose-colored-coolaid
Bubble Banter Boss
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:26 am
Posts: 1978
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Uh, no $100k is definitely upper middle class. It is well beyond what the typical family makes.
What's goofy in Seattle right now is that there is a significant difference in what that upper middle class income means depending on how old you are or how long you've been here. If you've been in Seattle since 1970, that salary means you've got a nice house in an older neighborhood, probably a boat, and so on. If you've been here since 2000, that salary means you've in an apartment, condo, or tiny decrepit house.
Either way, I tend to think in terms of personal freedom rather than class. If you live well within your means, $100k a year means you can take extended leaves of absence with no real negative impact. When we have a declining job market, like now, that freedom is one of the most valuable commodities.
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:08 am |
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WestSideBilly
Bubble Banter Boss
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:41 pm
Posts: 562
Location: Land of entitlement
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Most people define their status by their peers, not society as a whole. So for a single child-free lawyer in Seattle, $80k feels pretty low when compared to other lawyers who are making $100k (single) or $180k (DINKs).
Anyone who can't get by quite nicely on $80k, regardless of their student loan debt, is doing something wrong.
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:35 am |
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lamont
Bubble Bloviator
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:02 am
Posts: 213
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle WestSideBilly wrote: Most people define their status by their peers, not society as a whole. So for a single child-free lawyer in Seattle, $80k feels pretty low when compared to other lawyers who are making $100k (single) or $180k (DINKs).
Anyone who can't get by quite nicely on $80k, regardless of their student loan debt, is doing something wrong. Yeah, $80k is insufficient to support a $60k new car and $750,000 place to live, so it is "not a living wage". =) I get by fine on $98k, but i'm single and i rent (in the central district to keep that cost down) and i bought my car back in 2000 and i'm going to drive it into the ground. But as a result I can afford a ridiculously expensive technical diving habit that chews through about $15k/yr in after-tax.
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:06 am |
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Alan
Bubble Banter Boss
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:08 pm
Posts: 780
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle If your family is earning $80k and are saving properly for retirement then you should be living a lower middle class lifestyle.
A lower middle class person can own a plasma television and a BMW if they are willing to turn their retirement savings into discretionary income.
But even if he is saving for retirement, he shouldn't be worrying about where the money for the next bill is coming from.
If you are worrying about how you are going to pay your bills then you are working class.
If you pay the salary of one more more working class people then you are upper class.
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:10 am |
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rose-colored-coolaid
Bubble Banter Boss
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:26 am
Posts: 1978
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Alan wrote: If your family is earning $80k and are saving properly for retirement then you should be living a lower middle class lifestyle.
A lower middle class person can own a plasma television and a BMW if they are willing to turn their retirement savings into discretionary income.
But even if he is saving for retirement, he shouldn't be worrying about where the money for the next bill is coming from.
If you are worrying about how you are going to pay your bills then you are working class.
If you pay the salary of one more more working class people then you are upper class. What kind of definition is this? It seems like the confusion is really in how people define middle class. It's a newer term so it has little historical context. When it first became used, it would refer to a family that still had to budget for large purchases, but could afford many of the comforts of life. In the 1960s this meant a running car, one bedroom for every two residents, a cheap (usually driven and often camping) summer vacation, nutritious meals with some variety (meatloaf and potatoes not fillet mignon), and a television. Today (family of 4), I think it would probably means a home with one bedroom for every 1.5 residents (that's 2-3 bedrooms for a family of 4), a two running cars, access to extracurricular activities (sports/band/clubs), ability to eat out at affordable restaurants once a week, and a slightly nicer vacation than enjoyed 40 years ago. Anyone else want to weigh in on what middle class even means?
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:36 am |
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Ubersalad
Bubble Bloviator
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:15 pm
Posts: 350
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle IMO, class is representation of income and asset, with more weight on the asset.
100k income with 2 million asset (solid executive) comparing to 300k income with no asset (RE agent/Mortgage Broker). Who do you think is better representative of middle class?
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:25 pm |
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david_mcmanus
Bubble Bloviator
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:44 am
Posts: 256
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle PAW = middle income, high net worth. entrepreneurs, small business owners, prodigious savers
UAW = high income, low net worth (RE agents, doctors, lawyers, tend to fall into this group). the faux rich, heavy spenders
See "The Millionaire Next Door".
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:33 pm |
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Dave0
Bubble Blatherer
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2007 4:15 pm
Posts: 66
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Lower Class = bottom 20% of income distribution
Lower MIddle Class = next 20% of income distribution above Lower Class
Middle Class = next 20% of income distribution above Lower Middle Class
Upper Middle Class = next 20% of income distribution above Middle Class
Upper Class = top 20% of income distribution
So using the data biliruben linked above, the classes are as follows:
Lower Class: <$25,000/year
Lower Middle Class: between $25,000 & $45,000 per year
Middle Class: between $45,000 & $70,000 per year
Upper Middle Class: between $70,000 & $120,000 per year
Upper Class: above $120,000/year
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:49 pm |
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Dave0
Bubble Blatherer
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2007 4:15 pm
Posts: 66
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Re: Define middle class in Seattle Ubersalad wrote: IMO, class is representation of income and asset, with more weight on the asset.
100k income with 2 million asset (solid executive) comparing to 300k income with no asset (RE agent/Mortgage Broker). Who do you think is better representative of middle class? Assets are a consequence of income. Class is based on income, and the assets people associate with a certain class are what a financially responsible person should be able to buy with that class' income. A RE agent making $300,000 a year is upper class without a doubt, even if they blow it all on real estate and end up bankrupt.
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| Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:00 pm |
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