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There’s no such thing as middle class in Mass., say Boston.com readers
“The current cost in Mass. is outrageous — our family that makes over $250K a year doesn't feel middle class.”
A lot of Boston.com readers seem to be in agreement about one thing concerning the middle class in Massachusetts: There ain’t no such thing.
“There are only two classes in the U.S.: Oligarchy and 99%,” wrote Ribert of Dedham. Tony from Carlisle offered more specifics: “If you can live on your savings and investments without selling your labor, you are upper class. If not, you are working class. The middle class is a fiction created to divide the working class against itself!”
And then there’s Leanne from Malden, who said, “There’s now the homeless, the poor, the working poor, the rich, and the ultra wealthy.” And unless you’re in one of those last two groups, you’re probably depressed right now.
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They were responding to the recent news that, according to a new study by financial technology company SmartAsset, Massachusetts is now the most expensive state in the country for middle-class living. Specifically, you need to have a household income between $66,565 and $199,716 to be considered middle class here, the study found.
Of the more than 200 readers who responded to our poll, the majority — 65% — said they felt middle class. But of the ones that offered their salary information, 34% within the study’s range said that they felt middle class, but another 34% who made more than the top number said they, too, only felt middle class: Despite income surpassing $200K a year, “upper class” was still way out of reach, they said.
Do you consider yourself middle class?
Yes
65%
No, I don't make enough
23%
No, I make too much
12%
What is your household income?
Under $66,565
8%
Between $66,565 and $199,716
44%
More than $199,716
48%
“At almost twice that higher-end income, Massachusetts is slowly becoming unaffordable for my family of five,” said Casey of Raynham. “Property taxes, excise, insurance, premiums on healthcare, energy, and staples like food and rent are increasingly getting higher with less value in return. Coupled with higher tuition fees, and the promise of even more taxes to come, being middle class in Massachusetts means being the most exploited and least appreciated taxpayer.”
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“Being able to eat in a restaurant, travel, go to a bar,” said Ralph E. of Melrose. “You cannot do it with less than 200K if you have a wife and kids.”
We didn’t hear much in the way of comments from people who said they were upper class and/or rich — they must be too busy enjoying their tax cuts and sharing Grey Poupon. But below, here’s what Boston.com readers who identify as middle class or below had to say about what it means to be middle class in Massachusetts.
Yes, they feel middle class:
“Not just financially surviving but living comfortably … I think you’re in the middle classes until you could be independently wealthy enough to live a middle class lifestyle off of investments. That takes significant ownership of capital.” — Corey S., West Medford
“Always shocked by the cost of things I once took for granted … $120,000 in Western Mass. used to ensure a family of four a comfortable living, now it’s almost lower-middle class.” — Brendan, Greenfield
The Middle Class:
“When times are tough, you go out to eat less. When times are good, you might be able to swing an extra family vacation into the mix. Otherwise, all your middle class money goes to housing, transportation, schooling, food and heat/electric …right down the middle.” — Christine S., Methuen
“Being middle class in Massachusetts means you can afford to pay for all your basic needs, and, as long as you live within your middle class means, you can still have a little extra to put towards savings or ‘extras’ at the end of the day … It also means that although you’re not living paycheck to paycheck, you still have to keep an eye on your budget, because although you’re not lower class, you are certainly not upper class. And you just have to take a quick drive through an oceanside town like Manchester-by-the-Sea to be reminded of it.” — Anonymous, Beverly
“I think class definitions really depends on the income per person within a family. Being a household of six consisting of two working parents and four children, we have an income of $225,000. Sure, by definition within this article, we would be classified as ‘upper middle class.’ but that doesn’t take into consideration the income per family member. By comparison, a dual income household with two children making $195,000 is more of an ‘upper middle class’ family than our house.” — Chris C., North Andover
“The first step toward once again *having* a middle class in this country is to stop lying to ourselves about ‘middle class’ meaning ‘lots of other people are fewer uncontrollable events away from losing their shirts, so I guess this is fine.’ I respect the difficulty and complexity of the problem, and do not know how to fix it as I type this. But I have the numeracy and moral clarity to see the problem, and am privileged to enjoy enough professional standing to feel comfortable naming it out loud.” — Jared H., Union Square, Somerville
“I believe the hallmark of middle-class lifestyle is DEBT free. Because almost any adult in America can acquire a big truck and or a large home via debt. Keeping up with the Joneses is not the American Dream! It is a gateway to bankruptcy and/or foreclosure.” — Z, Leominster
“Money has nothing to do with it. Behavior etc. is the measure.” — PW, Boston
“Currently we are paycheck to paycheck, we do not own a home, we rent, we can only afford to take a week-long vacation every other year. And we are on the high end of this income bracket, I can’t imagine raising my three kids on the lower end.” — Tired in Quincy
“Being middle class means that you hate dropping off your car at the mechanic, but you can still afford Christmas presents.” — Klem F., Billerica
They don’t make enough to be middle class:
“Being able to afford a house, have kids and get pets. I’d say over 70% of my friends ages 30-35 make over 200k household income, yet only 5-10% are able to afford a home within an hour commute of Boston.” — Anonymous
“True ‘middle class’ in the U.S. is gone, because it used to mean you could have home ownership without help and be upwardly mobile. That dream died in the ’90s. I’m in my 40s and the majority of people my age and younger cannot afford a home without having one spouse making over six figures, inherited wealth from family, inheriting the home, or being able to live with family so you can take your rent money and save for a home … There’s now the homeless, the poor, the working poor, the rich, and the ultra wealthy.” — Leanne, Malden
“Being ‘middle class’ should assume one can afford the ‘luxuries’ like housing, food, health insurance and other necessities for your family. As a single widowed parent I struggled to do that here in Mass., and now on a fixed income I am considering leaving as the cost of living is too high and taxes are a great concern.” — MLS
“The current cost in Mass. is outrageous — our family that makes over $250K a year doesn’t feel middle class.” — LF, South Shore
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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