Where the Middle Class Is Shrinking

Re:Where the Middle Class Is Shrinking by dragontamer on Friday May 13, 2016 @12:03PM (#11691165)

The only number that actually matters here is "median household income". The distance away on both sides doesn't matter, because the article is analyzing movement away from the center.

Does it matter if you're capturing the middle 20% or the middle 60% of the country? Not really. There are fewer people in the "middle", for some definition of middle.

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Re:Where the Middle Class Is Shrinking by dragonwriter on Friday May 13, 2016 @12:31PM (#11691354)

> Does it matter if you're capturing the middle 20% or the middle 60% of the country? Not really.

Its actually capturing a multiplier below and above the median. If it was capturing a fixed percentage in the middle, then the share in the "middle class" could not change over time...

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Re:Where the Middle Class Is Shrinking by dragontamer on Friday May 13, 2016 @12:54PM (#11691521)

Lol, good point. But you'd be able to see the income spread of the middle class.

Its the spread that matters, and holding the income multiplier steady and then looking at %...

Or holding the % steady (then looking at the income numbers)...

That doesn't matter. Really. They all measure the spread away from the median over time.

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