Upper class to me are people who have a big house and all bills paid with no problems, nice newer cars, kids with university educations paid for (who all got their new cars while in high school), can afford medical insurance but don't necessarily NEED it. And a hefty retirement checks waiting for them.

We used to be Middle Class, but looking at the previous posts we've slid down a level. We own our home but live week to week. I have to be very creative in trying to feed 4 of us with the grocery prices going higher and higher, we've had no medical insurance for years because we can't afford it, own one car, and no cell phones. We get no government assistance at all.

Upper Class- People who do not need to worry about money or paying bills. Can go on vacations/ buy clothes without thinking/ extra money.

Middle Class- Makes just enough to pay all the bills with a little left over each month. Maybe enough to go out to eat at a middle class place.

LMBO
OK. my dad rents out houses. When they are screened for renting, MOST of those people have more money than we do. They drive better cars than we do. They eat more convenience food than we do - plenty of evidence when they move out... They dress much better than we do. They have large screen tvs. They have so much debt that they CAN'T buy a house. We own more than one house, we have no debt, we eat home cooked meals, no tv, we make less than $20,000 a year. Our cars are not made in this century. I think it is all relative. It is a matter of how well you manage what you have.

In my opinion, the difference in the classes is cultural, and includes economic decison-making, education, and how one spends free time.

There's a difference between upper class and upper income (same with middle class and middle income). Just because someone makes millions of dollars, they aren't necessarily upper class.

To me upper class is a "status." Think of names like Vanderbilt or Rockefeller - I generally think of them as upper class. They have a long history of family money. If the newspaper still had society pages, they would be the ones whose pictures are in them.

i think it is all relitive to were you live i though my family was lower class but from what some off you are saying( having a college education and owning a home) how we live puts us in the middle class. but in the area we live we are lower class. it all comes down to demagrphics.

Studied this once... hmmm what was it about food... upper class: the presentation of the food is most important (it has to look good); middle class: the food has to taste good...

I've always remembered this... (I think I've remembered this...)

I was taught that class is based on values:
-- Upper class valued family lineage/ancestry most
-- Middle class valued striving for more money, things, better quality of life. (Upper class generally already had the money, because they were descended from royalty and old money.)
-- Lower class valued living for that day, which means both that they're so poor that daily survival takes up a lot of their time and that they do things without considering long-term consequences, such as having parties when their paychecks come instead of paying their bills.

The media today talks about class as being almost completely equivalent to money, but I think education plays into it, too.

My definitions:

Upper class - has money or their ancestors did, values their lineage (royalty, aristocracy, nobility, and in the US, founding settlers and old money families), values privacy (not fame).

Middle class - values money, education, achievement. Achievement may be academic, business, military, entertainment. Recognition and fame are all good.

The thing is, IMO there is such a difference between the upper middle class and the lower middle class that I'd call them two different classes. Both work for a living, but the upper middles want the educational bona fides, the degrees and certificates. Lower middles train for jobs but don't otherwise value higher education. They value enjoying life in their community more.

By the way, find today's (or maybe yesterday's) Wall Street Journal. It has an article at the bottom of the front page on how French aristocrats have formed a sort of support group/union to help each other with money issues and finding an identity in today's world. I found the article quite amusing, but it really shows the upper class value of family/lineage still exists.

As a Sociology instructor, I applaud your efforts. :-)

Ive always thought of us as lower middle class. DH &i both have Masters degrees and are educators. DHs 6 children from 1st marriage all collEge educated but no Masters. Our 1st son almost through with his. He's an engineer already makes more than either of us ever has. 2nd son no college-poor life choices. We own home but have mortgage. Husband retired from education but must still work. We have insurance because of Medicare for him & my job. No real savings but I have a small retirement and he receives small pension. 2 cars 1 with a car payment. We are a few weeks away from real financial trouble if anything major happens. I haven't had a raise in 3 years, but thank God every day for my job.