Percentages also don't mean much when you split "rich" vs "middle-class" based on some arbitrary top x% of income. The real difference in the US is between the

Percentages also don't mean much when you split "rich" vs "middle-class" based on some arbitrary top x% of income. The real difference in the US is between the landed gentry (people who live off their investments) and people who are paid for their labor. That is where many people (like Warren Buffet) see a fundamental unfairness, especially in cases where people who are paid for their labor manage to get it taxed at investment income levels (e.g. carried interest).