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We hear the terms all the time in the media, but just what do the terms lower class, middle class, and upper class mean?  To refer to any class in society is referring predominantly to its earning power and potential.

Lower class is used to describe those at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum.  In contemporary culture it is divided into two classes, the working class and the underclass.  Job types associated with this class include service people and manual laborers.  The lower class are often portrayed as being uneducated and as filling easy job positions.

Middle class falls socio-economically between the lower and upper class.  The American middle class fluctuates, and constitutes for roughly 25-65% of all households.  The middle class is probably the most diverse societal group.  One of the major indicators to a person belonging to the middle class groups is college education.  This is more evident in the upper middle class grouping.

Upper class is the top layer of socio-economic society in America.  It is usually portrayed in the media as consisting of wealthy and powerful people who are also referred to as the capitalist class, or, as we more commonly know, the rich.  Those commonly found in this class include politicians, celebrities, business executives, and CEOs.  Within the upper class there are sometimes distinctions between its members, such as distinguishing between heirs to fortunes and celebrities, however they are mostly grouped in the one category.

Such distinctions in socio-economic class are not fixed.  Theorists are constantly arguing for and against particular classing structures in society and they will no doubt change in the future.