Is The Middle Class Disappearing In Arizona?

For most of history, the middle class has been the dominant group in society. It's the teachers, blue collar workers, and people like you and me that live lives in relative comfort.

Nowadays, you don't need an expert to tell you that the tide is changing, but it seems that Arizona is in a more drastic position than the rest of the world.

What is the "Middle Class"?

In America, the middle class represents the common American. You're not absurdly rich, and you're not living in poverty. On average, this usually represents a family making around 66.6% to 200% of the U.S. median income, coming to around $53,686 to $161,220 per year.

Obviously, that number has risen over the past few years, but percentage-wise, it's stayed relatively the same. Unfortunately, Arizona's basis for our middle class seems to be growing faster than the rest of America, and it's causing trouble for residents across the Grand Canyon State.

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Arizona's Middle Class is Shrinking

Looking at the amount families had to make to attain middle class status in Arizona, the numbers have been growing rapidly. In 2012, the range was around $33,504 to $100,512. A decade later, it was $48,387 to $145,162. This is a sizeable jump, but not an unexpected one.

That being said, in the past three years, that necessity has jumped to around $55,729 and $215,966, an exponentially larger jump than it took a decade to make. As such, families in Arizona are heading more and more into poverty and the lower class. Wages aren't rising, but costs are. So how are families expected to make that limit? They're not.

[AZ Central]