this is needless hairsplitting. I doubt you can find two people who agree on exactly what "middle class" means. some people use class as a direct proxy for income. for others class might be tied to the way you make money (hourly wage, salary, or returns from capital), level of education, and/or "lifestyle".
the wikipedia page for "petit bourgeoisie" lists the following as examples:
* Successful small business owners.
* Middle managers in the service sector (middle management).
* Lawyers working in small partnerships.
* Private GP practices.
depending how successful "successful" is here, the first and second examples could be people making $50-60k in a low-mid COL area. I don't think most people would consider a lawyer to be middle class (maybe upper-middle), and I definitely don't think they would consider a doctor with their own practice to be middle class.
the wikipedia page for "petit bourgeoisie" lists the following as examples:
* Successful small business owners.
* Middle managers in the service sector (middle management).
* Lawyers working in small partnerships.
* Private GP practices.
depending how successful "successful" is here, the first and second examples could be people making $50-60k in a low-mid COL area. I don't think most people would consider a lawyer to be middle class (maybe upper-middle), and I definitely don't think they would consider a doctor with their own practice to be middle class.