What you consider as middle class is all relative to your experience. You've obviously been around a lot of people in the $200K/year range. Aside from our corporate execs, I don't believe I personally know
anyone in that income range. From where you're sitting someone like me would be a peasant, but in reality, I'm middle class--a mortgage, two non-luxury-but-not-crap car payments, decent health insurance and well able to afford this computer and internet service. I'm solid middle class, but my household is well below the $100K mark much less $200K.
The fact is that in the U.S., the median income (meaning just as many are above that level as are below it) varies by state, but you can see HERE that it is well below $100K for a four person household.
Median is the middle, and the middle is nowhere near $200K.
Median is the middle, and the middle is nowhere near $200K. There is no one definition of middle income, in fact some economists do not relate the term to income alone.
I was just using the $30,000 - $200,000 income range that I consider middle income, that I feel deserve a significant tax cut.