A portrayal of the real life of the American middle class

There are many immigrants to the United States, so what is the real life portrayal and situation of the American middle class? It must be a topic of interest to many people who go abroad. Let's take a look at the real life of the American middle class with the immigration column. Welcome to reading.

A portrayal of the real life of the American middle class

Many articles are discussing the standards and life of the domestic middle class, such as the division standard of annual household income reaching more than 200 thousand, the requirement of having a house and a car, and the premise of having a house and a car without a loan. Some people even put forward specific living standards, such as which restaurant to eat, what brand of coffee to drink, what brand of clothes to wear and what brand of watch to wear.

I think this standard is a bit ridiculous. Everyone has personal preferences in dressing and eating. Some millionaires like simple food, and some working-class people scrimp and save on brand-name bags. At the same time, this standard reflects the impetuous mood that our society pursues material things excessively and is eager to prove its success or happiness with famous brands.

The formulation of the middle class comes from the west. In the United States, the earliest definition and classification of the middle class in academic circles is 195 1, but different scholars have different definition standards for the middle class. According to these standards, 25%-66% of the population in the United States can be divided into middle class. Later scholars also subdivided the middle class groups, such as the upper middle class and the lower middle class.

Although scholars have different standards for dividing the middle class, they are all divided according to the annual family income, occupation and education level. A college degree is the most basic condition for the middle class. The following are scholars' standards for the American middle class:

This is just an academic standard to divide the middle class. It can be said that there is no definite and unique standard in the United States.

For example, in the 20 14 tax reduction war, Democrats think that those below $200,000 are middle class, while * * and Republicans think that those below 13 1.450 are middle class.

Others divide people below 250,000 into the middle class (among them,1.5,000 is the upper middle class), people above 250,000 are rich (about 5% of the population), and people above 400,000 are super rich (1% of the population).

The middle class in the United States accounts for half or 65% (according to different classification standards), so it is the main force to promote social development and the largest consumer group. Then whether their lives are stable or not plays a key role in social stability-low-and middle-income people in the United States, such as the working class and the poor, receive government relief and help in taxation and welfare.

As for the life of the middle class, there seems to be a certain standard. A house, a car or two, or even a pet or two, is the most vivid description of American middle class life.

However, cars are not exclusive to the rich and powerful in the United States, but a necessary tool for daily life. Because there is no complete variety of transportation in the United States except big cities, and most Americans like to live in the suburbs, owning cars is a necessity.

House prices in the United States are much cheaper than those in China (the ratio of house prices to the income of local residents). The average price of medium-sized houses (detached houses) in the United States is 6.5438+0.8 million, and the annual income of households is 59,000 last year. The pressure of buying a house is not as great as that in China.

But most people in America only have one house. I think one of the reasons is that the cost of real estate speculation in the United States is too high: real estate tax is paid every year, which is generally 0.5%-5% of the house price of 65438+, and the regulations vary from state to state.

Second, even the best units in the United States, including government agencies, will not allocate housing to employees. For example, employees of good state-owned monopoly units and government agencies in China can enjoy welfare housing allocation or buy houses below the market price, and then sell them to make huge profits and buy their own houses.

In addition to the super-rich, Americans also borrow money to buy a house, including the current president and vice president of the United States. In addition to spending money tomorrow, loan interest can be taxed. Once the national economic environment is not good, the government will introduce some policies to help homeowners.

Unlike those wealthy middle-class families in China who own several houses and are keen on buying luxury goods, wealthy middle-class families in the United States are more concerned about enjoying every day's life, such as spending holidays overseas, building a swimming pool in the garden and buying a boat.

In the United States, the middle class is facing repayment pressure, and their biggest concern is unemployment. Generally speaking, working in state-owned units and institutions in China can be mixed into retirement in one unit as long as there are no major moral or professional mistakes.

Except for the government, almost all American companies are private companies. You can get in without hard work. Anyone who works in a bank, who has made several mistakes and always lags behind in the assessment must be admitted. There are many reasons for dismissing employees. If you can't find a job after losing your job and have savings to repay the loan, the bank will auction the house in a few months.

Compared with China, the American middle class is more worried about medical care, provided that they have jobs.

Most companies in the United States provide medical insurance, including those small companies and shops with several people. Many companies provide comprehensive insurance for part-time employees. Friends who have part-time experience probably have a deep understanding.

For general ailments, you should see a family doctor first, and the cost is about 20 dollars each time, including some tests.

When you enter the hospital, the insurance company also bears most of the expenses. Many companies also set the highest out-of-pocket expenses. For example, our bank has two kinds of insurance. One kind of insurance is the highest out-of-pocket amount of $65,438+0,500, and the other is $3,000 (both refer to surgical treatment at admission).

In terms of education expenses, the middle class in the United States is much easier. From primary school to high school is free. Children from poor families or low-income groups can also enjoy free breakfast and lunch at school. Some schools even allow them to take some home for their families to enjoy.

However, kindergartens and nurseries in the United States are very expensive, so many women choose to take care of their children at home until they are 6 or 7 years old and then return to the workplace. Immigrants usually send their children back to their own countries or pick up their parents to help take care of them.

American college tuition is also very expensive. It is cheaper to study in a university in your own state (the school has a great discount for students in your own state), but the prestigious schools across the state are very expensive. However, American schools generally have some consultants to design suitable financing channels for students, such as student loans, part-time jobs, scholarships and so on.

In daily life, the average family's annual income is mostly 250,000-400,000 dollars. In the United States, they also belong to wealthy families or top middle class families.

Most houses are the same. In summer, clothes and shoes cost 100 dollars, which they think is very expensive. They also cook at home from Monday to Friday, and rarely go to the beauty salon or go to the sauna massage after work every week (although this is not popular in the United States, most people go home from work).

In fact, the most important reason is that American tax and other policies are typical of robbing the rich and helping the poor. These incomes sound high, except taxes and insurance (according to the new insurance law of the United States, the monthly insurance premiums of high-income people will increase to a great extent from this year, while those of low-and middle-income people will decrease greatly).

In addition, it is very important that American companies will not "reasonably" avoid taxes for their employees. Tax income includes wages, bonuses, stock splitting and even overtime. It can be said that every penny you get should be included in the scope of taxation, and they have no hidden income.

So, on the whole, the middle class in the United States has little concern about medical and educational expenses:

They don't have to save money desperately for hopeless diseases and future children's education;

There is no feeling of panic because there is no certain deposit;

They also have no burden to support the elderly. Although there is still a certain gap between the American pension system and Western Europe, most elderly people have their own social insurance and medical insurance for the elderly.

Moreover, many elderly people in the United States are still working in their 70 s, and their children will still give financial help when their parents are in trouble, but on the whole, most people in the United States do not have the burden of supporting the elderly.

On the other hand, they are not as rich and powerful as we thought. In daily life, they are quite frugal (only for most people):

They use discount coupons;

Clothing and bags do not pursue famous brands;

I don't go to restaurants to eat every day, and I don't have the courage and style to order food in restaurants.

Don't go to high-end places to massage the sauna;

Their typical life is to go home from work and be with their families;

Share housework;

Accompany children;

Develop your hobbies outside of work;

Go out for dinner, go to church, go to the movies and play ball games on weekends;

Barbecue in my garden in summer;

Take the whole family to the seaside for a holiday, and travel abroad with good conditions.

Except when children are young, both sides have to hire nannies for work. At other times, American middle class seldom hire nannies.

The above is the real life of the American middle class that I have compiled. Thank you for browsing.