If said salary is their main/only source of income, why not? Afaik as long as you need a salary to maintain your lifestyle, you're middle class.

Grey areas abound of course. Whichever definitionwe write down, someone can find an example that doesn't feel right.

Like, what if your 7 figure CEO is 8 figures in debt and all their assets are leveraged to the brim and if they lose their job it's all getting foreclosed by the bank and they're homeless in a month?

What if a 5-figure small business director/owner lives a comfy life well within their means and has 10 years of fuck you money?

Life's weird.