I like to use quintiles to define the classes.
"Middle of what?" is a good question to ask. If you're in the top 2%, or even 10%, you're not middle class. More money than 90% of everyone else is not the middle class.
Flipping it around, if 0% means 100% of the country is richer than you, and 99% means 99% of the country is poorer than you...
- 0~20% is lower class.
- 20~40% is lower-middle class.
- 40~60% is middle class
- 60~80% is upper-middle class.
- 80~100% is upper class.
Now, I couldn't find quick figures for wealth. But for income, middle class household income topped out at $94,000 in 2022. So a household making more than $100,000 is probably not middle class.
"But my household makes over $100,000/yr and we don't live a middle class life style!"... that's probably because you've been sold the idea that an upper[-middle] class lifestyle is actually "middle class". It's not. The lifestyle you'd have at about $80,000 household income is a middle class lifestyle.
"Well, I might make over $100,000/yr household income, but I'm definitely not middle class because i make less than that after tax!"...nope, these calculations are usually before tax. You aren't middle class.
"This doesn't apply to me. I have 3 kids and a dependent spouse, so my $100,000+ doesn't go as far as a single person's would!"...sorry, still not middle-class.