The State of the American Middle Class
As the financial divide has grown, a smaller share of Americans now live in middle-class households. Here are key facts about this group.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
As the financial divide has grown, a smaller share of Americans now live in middle-class households. Here are key facts about this group.
The share of Asian Americans in the U.S. middle class has held steady since 2010, while the share in the upper-income tier has grown.
People around the world see various factors as contributing to economic inequality in their country: Rich people’s political influence A median of 60% across 36 countries say that rich people having too much political influence leads to economic inequality a great deal in their country. Majorities hold this opinion in 31 nations and in at […]
This report was written by Rakesh Kochhar, senior researcher. Editorial guidance for the report was provided by Mark Hugo Lopez, director, race and ethnicity research. Guidance on the communications strategy and outreach was provided by Tanya Arditi, senior communications manager. The report was number-checked by Gracie Martinez and Mohamad Moslimani, research assistants. Sara Atske, digital […]
This report was written by Rakesh Kochhar, senior researcher. Editorial guidance for the report was provided by Mark Hugo Lopez, director, race and ethnicity research. Guidance on the communications strategy and outreach was provided by Tanya Arditi, senior communications manager. The report was number-checked by Gracie Martinez and Mohamad Moslimani, research assistants. Sara Atske, digital […]
The American Trends Panel survey methodology Overview Data in this report comes from Wave 177 of the American Trends Panel (ATP), Pew Research Center’s nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was conducted from Aug. 18 to 24, 2025. A total of 5,153 panelists responded out of 5,525 who were sampled, for […]
Pew Research Center’s 2026 political typology divides the public into nine groups. The assignment of individuals to one of the nine groups is based on their responses to 30 questions about social and political values. The table below lists the items used in the construction of the typology groups. Items included in the typology construction […]
The American Trends Panel survey methodology Overview Data in this report comes from Wave 187 of the American Trends Panel (ATP), Pew Research Center’s nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was conducted Feb. 17-23, 2026. A total of 5,119 panelists responded out of 5,854 who were sampled, for a survey-level response […]
The American Trends Panel survey methodology Overview Data in this report comes from Wave 182 of the American Trends Panel (ATP), Pew Research Center’s nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was conducted from Oct. 20 to 26, 2025. A total of 5,111 panelists responded out of 5,866 who were sampled, for […]
The American Trends Panel survey methodology Overview Data in this report comes from Wave 178 of the American Trends Panel (ATP), Pew Research Center’s nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was conducted Sept. 2-8, 2025. A total of 8,750 panelists responded out of 9,928 who were sampled, for a survey-level response […]
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