Most Americans Are No Longer Middle Class

Published December 10, 2015 at 1:33 PM EST

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In this 1948 photo, an American family watches a tabletop radio television. (AP)

Most Americans are no longer in the middle class, according to the Pew Research Center. The country has about 120.8 million adults living in middle-income households, a new Pew study found. That compares with the 121.3 million who are living in either upper- or lower-income households.

NPR senior business editor Marilyn Geewax says “middle class” for a family of three means earning between $42,000 and $126,000 a year. She discusses some of the reasons for the shrinking middle class with Here & Now‘s Eric Westervelt.

Read Marilyn Geewax’s full story on NPR

Guest

Marilyn Geewax, senior business editor NPR. She tweets @GeewaxNPR.