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Title: A Dozen Facts about America's Struggling Lower-Middle Class
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2013
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Abstract: Many American families whose incomes are not low enough to officially place them in poverty live in economically precarious situations. This struggling lower-middle class consists of the 30 percent of working-age families with children who have incomes between 100 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), or between roughly $15,000 and $60,000, depending on family composition. Though not officially poor, these individuals and families experience limited economic security. One major setback could thrust them into economic chaos. The struggling lower-middle class encompasses low- and middle-skilled workers whose wages have stagnated in recent decades (Autor, Katz, and Kearney 2008). More than half of these families are headed by married couples, and of these families, roughly half rely on two earners to make ends meet. While lower-middleclass families face many challenges, this policy paper focuses . . .
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Authors: Kearney, Melissa; Harris, Benjamin; Jácome, Elisa; Parker, Lucie
Publisher: The Hamilton Project
Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Poverty and Welfare
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