Most Americans Consider Themselves ‘Working Class,’ Pew Says

(Bloomberg) -- Some 60% of American adults consider themselves "working class," including those who have college degrees and higher incomes, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

While people without a four-year degree and middle-income adults are most likely to identify as working class, about half of college graduates and upper-income adults do as well, according to a Pew survey of about 8,500 adults released Monday.

There's no single agreed-upon definition of working class, but the term generally connotes people without college degrees, those below a certain income or those who work in blue-collar, service jobs, according to Pew. The share of Americans identifying as working class has increased from two years ago, when about 54% said it described them well.

Republicans under President Donald Trump have positioned themselves as the party of the working class. In 2024, Trump performed strongly among voters without college degrees and gained support among Hispanic and Black voters. Since their defeat, Democrats have sought to focus more on cost-of-living concerns such as grocery and gas prices that resonate with working-class voters, especially ahead of the November midterm elections.

About two-thirds of middle-income adults said working class describes them well, the report found. Even among Americans who consistently pay their bills in full, have months of emergency savings and can comfortably cover their expenses, about half identify as working class, Pew said.

The label also has a political association. About two-thirds of Republicans and right-leaning adults say working class describes them well, even after accounting for differences in economics, occupation and education, Pew found. That compares with 55% of Democrats and left-leaning adults.

And about 60% of White and Hispanic adults view themselves as working class, compared with about half of Black and Asian adults, the report showed.