Over the last 50 years, the combined middle and upper-middle class of the USA has been the part that has grown the most. The lower middle and poverty classes ha

Over the last 50 years, the combined middle and upper-middle class of the USA has been the part that has grown the most. The lower middle and poverty classes have shrunk. The upper class has grown a small amount. 62% of the country today is middle or upper-middle class today as opposed to 50 years ago when 51% were. [1] However, the middle class has shrunk quite a bit as the upper middle class has seen tremendous growth while lower middle and poverty classes have seen a good deal of shrinkage. 37% today are lower-middle or poverty class compared with 50 years ago where 48% were. In particular, the poor have shrunk from 24% to 20% today. So the middle and upper-middle have grown over the last 50 years with the upper-middle in particular growing and lower-middle and poverty has shrunk. However, middle class people may feel left behind as they see more people becoming upper-middle. [1] https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/81581/2000819-The-Growing-Size-and-Incomes-of-the-Upper-Middle-Class.pdf https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/81581/...