Study Finds Upper Middle Class Now Largest U.S. Income Group

A study released this week found that households earning as much as $461,592 annually for a family of four still fall into the upper-middle-class category.

U.S. households into five income groups using census data adjusted for household size. About 19 percent of households are classified as poor or near-poor, 15 percent as lower middle class, and 31 percent as core middle class. The upper middle class now represents the largest segment at 31 percent of households, while 4 percent qualify as rich.

Combined, 66 percent of households fall into the core middle class, upper middle class, or rich categories.

The study defines the upper-middle-class range for a family of four as income between $153,864 and $461,592. Households above that threshold are categorized as rich. That share has tripled since then, according to the analysis. Researchers said the growth reflects broad income gains across decades rather than economic decline.