Name: Why $100,000 Earners Still Call Themselves Working Class
Uploaded: 2026-06-19T23:00:00Z
Duration: 2 min 54 s
Description: A Wall Street Journal poll finds that culture – not an income bracket – is what defines today’s working class.

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A Wall Street Journal poll finds that culture – not an income bracket – is what defines today’s working class. Photo: Kevin Wurm/Associated Press

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260619/653fedbe-1eba-438c-8dfc-3049159e6e85/2/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

A Wall Street Journal poll finds that culture – not an income bracket – is what defines today’s working class.

Why $100,000 Earners Still Call Themselves Working Class

About three out of every 10 Americans call themselves working class, but what does that mean? "The Wall Street Journal" polled 2,000 Americans to find out. The results surprised us.

There's no formal definition of the working class, so we asked respondents what it meant to them. About 1/2 earn between $35,000 a year and $80,000 a year per household, but the rest fall outside of that range, with one in five making at least $100,000 a year. Nearly one in four have a four-year college degree. That's a lot given that working-class people used to be considered those with just a high school education or a two-year degree. The income range was pretty broad, because for these respondents, it wasn't really about how much they earned. It was about the way they worked. Nearly 1/2 of working-class people said they have to work every day, and nearly 1/4 said they worked two or more jobs. That's a higher rate than those who considered themselves middle class. The poll revealed how being working class is more of a mindset that drives a cultural identity than a set of economic circumstances. Working-class people define themselves by struggle and having to fend for themselves. In other words, hustle. Part of that identity is doing things for yourself and not relying on other people. Take housework. 2/3 of working-class people do their own home repairs. Nearly as many do their own yardwork. It also includes fewer indulgences. When it comes to taking vacations, only about a 1/4 of working-class people took that type of break at least once a year. And only 15% did so by getting on an airplane. These results tell you something about our political alignment in America too. Democrats have lost working-class voters to the Republican Party since Trump grabbed hold of it 10 years ago. To win them back, they've tried offering economic benefits, such as stimulus checks and student loan forgiveness. It was part of a broader equity agenda in all corners of American life. But that actually cuts against some of how the working class sees themselves. These voters are proud to not rely on anyone else, especially the government. The notion of equity was a turnoff to Americans who saw their own hard work as key to getting ahead in America. There is some hope for Democrats. This new poll shows that white working-class voters now disapprove of how Trump is doing his job by 13 points. That's a shift from when we asked the question in January, when they approved of him by seven points. To win working-class voters back, Democratic strategists say the party must tap into these voters' cultural motivations and not just give them free stuff.

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