Upper Middle Class

The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term "lower middle class", which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum, and to the broader term "middle class". There is considerable debate as to how the upper middle class might be defined. According to sociologist Max Weber the upper middle class consists of well-educated professionals with graduate degrees and comfortable incomes.

The American upper middle class is defined similarly using income, education and occupation as the predominant indicators. In the United States, the upper middle class is defined as consisting mostly of white-collar professionals who not only have above-average personal incomes and advanced educational degrees but also a higher degree of autonomy in their work. The main occupational tasks of upper-middle-class individuals tend to center on conceptualizing, consulting, and instruction.

Read more about Upper Middle Class:  American Upper Middle Class, British Upper Middle Class

Famous quotes containing the words upper, middle and/or class:

    “All men live in suffering
    I know as few can know,
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    Or stay content on the low....”
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    There was a little girl, she had a little curl
    Right in the middle of her forehead;
    And when she was good, she was very, very good,
    And when she was bad, she was horrid.
    Mother Goose (fl. 17th–18th century. There Was a Little Girl (attributed to Mother Goose)

    For my own part, I had rather suffer any inconvenience from having to work occasionally in chambers and kitchen ... than witness the subservience in which the menial class is held in Europe.
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