The term “social pecking order” does not refer to the items on a KFC menu. Rather, it is a distribution, or list, of social classes. Among sociologists, however, there is considerable disagreement regarding how best to define a social class.

Social classes.

“People in similar positions grow similar in their thinking and lifestyle,” says sociologist Dennis Gilbert. “They form a pattern, and this pattern creates social class.” In defining social classes, sociologists typically consider numerical measures such as wealth or income. They may also take into account qualitative factors, such as education, occupation, culture, and social status.

The haves and the have-nots.

A widely cited (and still useful) paradigm of U.S. social class by sociologists William Thompson and Joseph Hickey (2005)* proposes these class characteristics:

  • Upper class (1%): Top-level executives, celebrities, and heirs with incomes of $500,000+. Ivy League education is common.
  • Upper middle class (15%): Highly educated (often with graduate degrees) professionals and managers with household incomes from high 5-figure range to above $100,000 (sometimes referred to as the “professional class”).
  • Lower middle class (32%): Semi-professionals and craftsman with some work autonomy. Household incomes commonly range from $35,000 to $75,000. Typically, some college education.
  • Working class (32%): Clerical and “pink and blue collar” workers, often with low job security. Household incomes range from $16,000 to $30,000. High school education.
  • Lower class (ca. 14%-20%): Those who occupy poorly-paid positions or rely on government assistance. Some high school education.

Since social classes lack distinct boundaries and commonly overlap, it is difficult to state any definitive income thresholds. Nevertheless, these demarcations appear to have remained relatively valid despite the economic gyrations of recent years.

POV of Joe Six-Pack.

For most of us, it is easier to simply consider one’s lifestyle as the defining characteristic:

  • Upper class: One who owns their primary home and several vacation homes, eats out at fine restaurants all the time, has a plasma large screen TV as part of their home theater system in the living room of their yacht, which is docked behind their vacation home.
  • Middle class: One who owns their home and a car, eats prime steak every other week, and has a plasma large screen TV in the living room.
  • Lower class: One who rents and cannot afford to own; takes the bus, rides a bike, or walks and barely has enough to feed and clothe their family.

The overwhelming majority of Americans feel they are part of the greater middle class. Don’t be a classhole … envy is not becoming!

There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war. And we’re winning.

~ Warren Buffett, investment entrepreneur

* From: Thompson, W. and Hickey, J. (2005). Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.

Learn more about this, and other interesting topics, in the Young Person’s Guide to Wisdom, Power, and Life Success.

Image credit: “Tuxedo Details” by Nicholas Genin (2009), licensed under CC BY 3.0.