I've been thinking a lot about social class lately so I've come up with a social class classification system. I'm going to describe each class, but keep in mind that people don't fit perfectly into neat little boxes. A person of one class might not fit all of the characteristics of that class. Classifying someone is a matter of judgment based on which class he fits into best. So, with that out of the way, here are my class descriptions. Low Class This class includes people who are poor as a consequence of personal or family disfunction which places them out of mainstream society. Low Class characteristics include having multiple illegitimate children, sexual promiscuity, a ghetto mentality, and felony criminal convictions. Many people on welfare and food stamps are Low Class. The typical Low Class person is a high school dropout with an IQ below 90. I consider alcoholics and users of illicit drugs other than pot to be Low Class. Typically, Low Class people are unable to hold down steady employment and are likely to be criminal. Illegal immigrants are automatically Low Class. Working Class This class is comprised of people who work in low-paying jobs and are unable or unwilling to save for the future. The typical Working Class person may be marriageable or married and has one or zero illegitimate children. They tend to have IQ scores in the low average range and a high school education. Some Working Class people have less than two years of college or technical or vocational training. May receive welfare or food stamps. Typical Working Class people work blue-collar or service sector jobs. Lower Middle Class In this class, you find people who earn above the median income. In general, they are married with kids or have the reasonable potential to be. They may have a history of divorce, but are involved in committed relationships. Lower Middle Class people tend to have IQ scores in the high average range and have an A.A. degree or substantive vocational training. These people do not receive government assistance and tend to work skilled blue-collar or low-level (and some mid-level) white-collar jobs. Upper Middle Class The paramount distinguishing feature of the Upper Middle Class is that the overwhelming majority of its members are college graduates and includes some people with post-graduate degrees. These people tend to live the American dream with a nice house and cars and 2.1 children. May have low six-figure household income. They tend to work in white-collar, professional jobs. In regards to intelligence, they usually have IQs above 115. This class includes most "gifted" people (IQ 130+) once they are settled in a career. However, IQs above 130 have almost no additional predictive value with respect to social class. Upper Class This class is comprised of people who make over $200,000 per year, hold high levels of influence, or have very high-status jobs. They typically have stable marital relationships, but few kids. Many Upper Class people have post-graduate degrees.