The middle class is indeed shrinking, but new research reveals the trend is actually good news.

The American dream of a comfortable retirement is becoming harder to achieve for millions of middle-class workers. Where ...

Every now and then, we all face struggles—some big, some small. But depending on your circumstances, what feels like a serious issue to you might look very different to someone else. Once upon a time ...

The comment sections of TikTok’s “middle-class house tours” feature thousands of Americans arguing about what qualifies as middle class in 2025. Viral videos of average homes are sparking comment ...

Many adults experience a loss of control later in life when they've grown up poor, according to a study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, but when they grow up middle class, then ...

While there are a number of lifestyle choices and mindsets that play a role in keeping lower-class households living in financial uncertainty, the state of the current economy — riddled with wealth ...

This article appears in the December 2025 issue of The American Prospect magazine. Subscribe here. We are living in a new Gilded Age. The first, from roughly 1870 to 1890, was marked by dramatic ...

It is possible to change your social class status but not without huge paradigm shifts, a great deal of intentional dedicated effort, acquiring new social and professional skills, and having mentors ...

Six months into President Donald Trump’s second term, economists say the middle class is holding steady but facing mounting pressure. For You: I Asked ChatGPT What Will Get More Expensive When Trump’s ...

Credit: Getty Images Using credit for points or big-ticket purchases doesn’t sound like a problem. But relying on it for groceries or rent isn’t middle-class at all. Cards helping you stay afloat ...

ChatGPT started with the basics. In 1971, about 61% of American adults lived in middle-income households. By 2021, that number had dropped to 50%. That’s a massive shift in just 50 years. But the ...