More Americans think of themselves as working class, even as they make more money

Some define the working class as blue-collar roles.

Teera Konakan/Getty Images More Americans view themselves as working class, especially middle-income earners.

A new survey from Pew finds that workers with a savings net and bills paid still feel working-class.

Political views also affect working-class identity, with Republicans more likely to use the label.

A majority of Americans hear themselves in Dolly Parton's "9-to-5." Sixty percent of Americans identify as working class, according to a Pew Research analysis of a January 2026 survey.

That's up from 54% in 2024.

And the label, historically applied to lower-earning workers, resonates across earnings levels.

Middle-income families, who make between $51,900 to $155,600 depending on family size and location, identify especially with the term "working class." More surprisingly, half of high-income families, who earn more than $155,600, identify that way.

That could be because the term itself is ambiguous: As the analysis notes, there's no one clear definition of working class.

Some equate the working class with lower earners, while others see them as workers without a bachelor's degree, or those explicitly working in blue-collar fields like construction and agriculture.

The Pew findings come as middle-earning or financially comfortable Americans don't feel well-off, even while their pay has grown.

Median weekly earnings increased 8.4% from the first quarter of 2024 through the first quarter of 2026, outpacing the 5.5% inflation in prices over that time.

Do you consider yourself working class? Do you have an opinion on what it would take to get out of the working class? Contact this reporter at [email protected] .

The middle third of earners used to feel similarly about their savings and spending as higher-earners did.