As if the median wage numbers weren't proof enough.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/09/national/main4005101.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4005101
The survey by the Pew Research Center, a Wa****ngton-based
organization, paints a mixed picture for the 53 percent of adults in
the country who define themselves as "middle class," with household
incomes ranging from below $40,000 to more than $100,000.
It found that a majority of Americans said they haven't progressed in
the last five years. One in four, or 25 percent, said their economic
situation had not improved, while 31 percent said they had fallen
backward. Those numbers together are the highest since the survey
question was first asked in 1964. Among the middle class, 54 percent
said they had made no progress (26 percent) or fallen back (28
percent).
Asked about their financial experiences in the past year, 53 percent
of middle-class people said they had to cut spending because money was
tight. About one in five said they had trouble getting or paying for
medical care, while 10 percent re****ted they had been laid off or
otherwise lost their jobs.
Looking ahead to the coming year, half of the middle class surveyed
said they expected to have to cut more spending. Among those employed,
one in four, or 25 percent, expressed worries that they would be laid
off, that their job would be outsourced or that their employer would
relocate in the coming year, while 26 percent were concerned that they
would see cuts in salary or health benefits.
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