I have always felt like my family was upper middle class. My parents were a teacher and a small business owner. Nationally, we were probably just barely middle class by income, but in rural Colorado my parents were local celebrities. They both had college degrees. We had one of the biggest, nicest houses. We drove late model cars without dents (and my dad kept a ’55 T-Bird in the garage for special events). I wore clean, pretty clothes. When we ordered steaks at the local restaurant the owner would come out to ask what we were celebrating and give us a cake on the house.

It really is all about who you are comparing yourself to.

I have mentioned before when we talk about class the issue of security, and how secure you feel, gets mixed in with income and education. My hometown is my safety net. If I need to, I can go back and within a day have a job (probably an office job) and a place to live. My parents don’t live there anymore, and I don’t have any relatives closer than cousins there, but I don’t think that matters. Actually, I feel like a stranger would do OK there too, but having a last name that people know means that they would help me no questions asked.