Barriers

The US Middle Class is Dying

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

24 Jul 2010 • 1 min read

Photo by The New York Public Library / Unsplash

For most of the 20th century, America bragged about having the biggest and strongest middle class in the world. Work hard, buy a house, send the kids to college. That was the mantra.

But the tide has shifted. Globalization moved jobs overseas. Technology automated others. Wages stalled while the cost of housing, healthcare, and education shot up. What was once the American “safe zone” now feels like quicksand.

The numbers tell the story:

In 1971, about 61% of Americans were middle class. By 2023, that dropped to 51%.
The middle class once earned 62% of U.S. income; now it’s closer to 43%.
Meanwhile, the top 10% keep growing richer, holding nearly half the nation’s income.

And everyday realities back it up. Millions of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, struggle with debt, and have little or nothing saved for retirement. Many technically count as “middle class,” but their standard of living keeps slipping.

The middle class isn’t gone yet but it’s shrinking, squeezed, and losing ground. And if that continues, the American dream changes for everyone.

John Bradley Jackson