What salary range is considered middle class in your country or city?

8 comments

1. I don’t think class is generally thought of in terms of income brackets in Denmark, it is much more based along other social relations, like what jobs people do, their education, social factors like so-called “cultural capital,” and so on. The term “middle class” also doesn’t really translate in the same way, from the US. So I can’t give you a salary range, but, I can tell you generally what types of people are considered “middle class.”

   The big one is farmers, people who own their own land and work it. They’re not working for someone else, perhaps they have a few hands working for them, and so on. They’re a classical expression of the middle class.

   Another group, in continuation of the above, are small business owners, like people who own their own trade-firms. So not necessarily the independent carpenter, but the carpenter-master. Or the bricklaying master, and so on. They’re generally also considered middle class, granted, that they also work in their firm and trade themselves, and don’t occupy a position of a director.

   Higher level functionaries and bureaucrats are also often considered middle class, along with establishment academia, like university professors and lectors on gymnasiums and such, while lower level functionaries and bureaucrats, and teachers in primary school are considered working class.

2. Middle class doesn’t have a lot to do with income. It’s more to do with education, social background and profession. That sometimes correlates with income but often doesn’t. So, an academic or writer with a tiny income would likely be middle class, and a wealthy tradesman like a successful builder probably wouldn’t be.

3. In Sweden, roughly most people with jobs would be middle class, people who own business would be upper middle class or rich and people who struggle would be poor.

   I don’t think salary is what really determine if someone is middle class or not, but how they get their money, Sweden is a country aimed towards business owners rather than working for someone else with high taxes on income but low to non existent taxes on wealth with strong safety net and little corruption, meaning we have twice the $ billionaires per capita than USA.

4. Class does not really work the same way over here, the differences between people are smaller in a way. I think that most junkies over here own their apartment, for example. And most rich people live in homes that are slightly bigger, but not like mansions.

   Being middle class is basically having a decent education, a job that is not a notable health hazard and having a decent sum of money left over each month from your regular expenses. People generally say you should have 3-6 month salary put aside to consider yourself not just making ends meet.

   Generally in Estonia the salary of 2k/month is the main one quoted for the one people want. You can live comfortably with less, though. It depends mainly on your housing: some people have inherited homes for free, some pay very little like 100-300 per month and some have taken big ass loans for a newly built home and pay like 800-1000 per month. The prices in real estate have changed so fast, that the value of my apartment has basically doubled with 3 years and a little renovation.

5. There isn’t really a set income for being middle class? It’s sometimes more related to your background, what kind of housing you have, what car you drive and what you work as.

   But you probably earn roughly 3000-4000€/month when you’re definitely middle class, you got your partner, you got your house, your very new Volvo and your dog and your 2 kids, working in some office while having a good educational background.

6. Most people here who don’t get financial support from the state would consider themselves “middle class” I suppose. The Christian Democratic Union politician, Friedrich Merz, once said he was “middle class”. He owns two private jets and multiple properties.

   Most university students would consider themselves middle class event though most of them are financially speaking poor (like not as a joke but actually).

7. The middle class would have to be with the entire family, the Dad & Mom making around 1k+ plus the older kids making 300 – 600 a month, so ~1500 but it is an entire family. You need around 500 – 1k to survive depending on where you are

8. Class concept is something still kinda new and confusing. We have one of the lowest Wealth inequality in the world. As we say most people are equally poor.

   Generally like 70+% of the country would call themselves middle class. Factory worker earning 600 €/month(net) would call himself middle class, IT guy earning around 2000 €/month/net) would call himself middle class too.

   I’ve never heard somebody calling himself upper class and nobody wants to be called working class.