Michigan's shrinking middle class

The American middle class is shrinking, and Michigan is no exception.

According to a recent post on the Pew Charitable Trusts' Stateline Blog, "A new Stateline analysis shows that in all 50 states, the percentage of "middle-class" households—those making between 67 percent and 200 percent of the state's median income—shrunk between 2000 and 2013. The change occurred even as the median income in most states declined, when adjusted for inflation."

In Michigan, the percentage of "middle class" households shrunk from 50.6 percent to 43.6 percent between 2000 and 2013. Over the same period, the state's median household income declined from $61,551 to $48,273 and the percentage of households spending 30 percent of that income on housing grew from 24 percent to 31 percent.

To see how Michigan stacks up against other states, visit Stateline Blog.