[nonce42]

I've spent many years in the US at many income levels, and my conclusion is that the middle class in the US is genuinely very large and includes people making hundreds of thousands of dollars. When someone making $200k says they're still middle class, that's not some rich person nonsense but an accurate description of their life. They're upper-middle class, but still middle class.

If you're a software engineer making $200,000 and talking with a teacher making $39,000, you're making more money but fundamentally you have most things in common. You're living similar lives, it would make sense to be neighbors, friends, date, etc. (Part of this is social class, but not entirely.)

Now consider encountering a hedge fund manager who flies everywhere in a private plane. If you met this person at a party, you'd probably wonder why they were there talking to you. You'd have essentially nothing in common with them. This person is fundamentally in a different class. I'm not sure where upper class starts, but based on personal experience it takes much more than $10 million.