The general population is divided into socio-economic groups. This division is based on a lot of factors such as annual income, livelihood, family background, and so on. Usually, the division is made into three categories, upper class, middle class, and lower class. The middle class is sometimes further divided into upper and lower classes.
Key Takeaways
- Upper-middle-class individuals earn higher incomes and have more accumulated wealth than lower-middle-class individuals.
- Lower middle-class individuals hold jobs requiring less formal education or skills than upper-middle-class professionals.
- Upper-middle-class families can access more resources and opportunities, such as better schools and healthcare, than lower-middle-class families.
Upper middle class vs Lower middle class
Upper-middle-class refers to a social class that is above the middle class but below the upper class. This group consists of highly educated professionals. Lower-middle-class refers to a social class that is below the middle class but above the working class. This group consists of skilled workers.
The Upper middle class is a socio-economic division in the middle-class group of people. The division is based on the educational qualification and the profession or occupation of people involved in the group. Usually, the upper-middle class consists of individuals with good educational qualifications involved in white-collar jobs.
The lower middle class is a group in middle-class society of people. The division consists of less qualified people than the upper-middle-class group and involved in blue-collar jobs. This comprises semiprofessional labourers such as craftsmen, odd-job workers, and so on.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Upper middle class | Lower middle class |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The upper middle is the socio-economic group with the highest status in the middle-class society | The lower middle is the socio-economic group with the lowest status in the middle-class society |
| Demographic | It consists of individuals with good educational qualifications and white-collar jobs | It consists of individuals with slightly lower educational qualifications and blue-collar jobs |
| Wealth | This group enjoys more comfort and luxury than the lower middle class | This group comprises people with fewer amounts of wealth |
| Jobs | White-collar employees are professional individuals with good pay, perks, and decent security | Blue-collar workers are semiprofessional individuals, such as craftsmen, construction workers, and so on |
| livelihood | This group enjoys a decent livelihood, with good living conditions and life security | This group is less privileged in terms of living conditions, with no stable life security |
What is Upper middle class?
The upper-middle class is a division in the middle-class socio-economic group of society. The division is made based on the educational qualifications and the occupation that the people of the group are involved in.
The group consists of individuals with good educational backgrounds, completing education with at least a professional college degree. Thus a proper education is one of the defining factors of the upper-middle-class group.
Along with a good education, the individuals are also involved in white-collar jobs. These are professional jobs, such as engineering, fields of medicine, architecture, and so on.
As these jobs offer good pay and decent job security, with perks and other advantages, the people in this group are well off in terms of living standards.
This group enjoys comfortable living conditions, with wealth and luxury. Along with good living conditions, the individuals in this group also enjoy the safety and security of life as well.
This is also reflected in the family size of typical upper-class families. The families are small, comprising of only one or, at the most, two children.
Hence this socio-economic group is classed as having the highest status among the middle-class group of society.
What is Lower middle class?
The lower middle class is a socio-economic divide in the middle-class group of society. The division is made based on the living conditions of the people, taking into account factors such as their educational background and the type of occupation that the people are involved in.
As such, the lower middle class consists of people with slightly lower educational qualifications. A proper college education is very rare, and usually, the qualification only consists of a primary school education, which is still quite rare.
The main reason behind this lack of education is that lower-middle-class individuals are seen abandoning their education to find jobs, to make a living.
Due to a lack of educational qualification, the type of occupation that these people are offered are also low-paying jobs with no job security, which mostly consist of heavy physical labour.
As these blue-collar jobs do not offer decent pay, the living standards of these individuals are also poor, with tough living conditions and unsanitary environments.
Another reason for the poor living conditions is the family size of lower-middle-class families. Typical lower-middle-class families are larger than upper-middle-class families, with more than two children.
Main Differences Between Upper middle class and Lower middle class
- The upper middle class is the socio-economic group with the highest status in middle-class society. The lower middle class is the socio-economic group with the lowest status in middle-class society.
- The upper middle class consists of individuals with good education and decent jobs. The lower middle class consists of people with lower educational qualifications and blue-collar jobs.
- The upper middle class enjoys wealth and luxury. The lower middle class is not as privileged.
- The upper middle class consists of white-collar employees with a decent and secure salary, perks and other bonuses. The lower middle class consists of blue-collar jobs with no secure pay and no perks.
- The livelihood of the upper middle class is very decent, with good living conditions as compared to the lower middle class.
- https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_Am6USqyAhAC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=upper+middle+class&ots=OEmymvWzQS&sig=mKiU3QdHBpOycYMnSgMDYoBBxZM
- https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/241338
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
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The middle class is the pillar of society. Understanding the differences in the types of jobs requiring different skills is important. Both classes contribute to society differently, and these differences impact society’s economic and social development.