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77-513: The Philadelphia Main Line , known simply as the Main Line , is an informally delineated historical and social region of suburban Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. Lying along the former Pennsylvania Railroad 's once prestigious Main Line , it runs northwest from Center City Philadelphia parallel to Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike , also known as U.S. Route 30 . The railroad first connected

154-583: A cycle of poverty . These apparent contradictions lead to divergent views on whether American society is divided into distinct classes or should be analyzed that way. Explanations for the relatively low level of social mobility in the US include: the better access of affluent children to superior schools and preparation for schools, which is important in an economy where pay is tilted toward educated workers; high levels of immigration of unskilled laborers and low rate of unionization , which leads to lower wages among

231-489: A minority group who suffers discrimination in the workforce. The following are reported income-, education-, and occupation-based terms for specific classes commonly used by sociologists. Note that income levels are from the 2000s, and not adjusted for inflation. The term upper class is applied to a wide array of elite groups existing in the United States of America. Because there is no defined lower threshold for

308-563: A college degree but has likely attended college for some time. Overall, educational attainment serves, perhaps, as the most essential class feature of most Americans, being directly linked to income and occupation. Broadly speaking, the United States aspires to be an egalitarian country with social mobility ; the American Dream includes the idea from the Declaration of Independence that " all men are created equal " and have

385-417: A description of how members of the society have sorted themselves along a continuum of positions varying in importance, influence, prestige, and compensation. It is disputed whether sharp lines can be drawn for social classes. One point of view in the debate is: A stratified society is one marked by inequality, by differences among people that are regarded as being higher or lower…it is logically possible for

462-488: A given social class' culture needs to be seen as a broad generalization.Parental views are, perhaps, the most essential factor in determining the socialization process which shapes new members of society. The values and standards used in child rearing are commonly closely related to the parent's occupational status. Parents from the professional class tend to raise their children to become curious, independent thinkers, while working-class parents raise their children to have

539-531: A historic and statistical approach. Piketty's book Capital and Ideology (2019) argues that inequality is a social phenomenon, driven by human institutions. Institutional change, in turn, reflects the ideology that dominates society: "Inequality is neither economic nor technological; it is ideological and political." Since 1970, sociologists Paula LeMasters and Melvin Kohl have set out, repeatedly, to research class-based cultures. Class culture has been shown to have

616-403: A large household size; thus, resulting in a low per capita household income. It should be stressed...that a position does not bring power and prestige because it draws a high income. Rather, it draws a high income because it is functionally important and the available personnel are for one reason or another scarce. It is therefore superficial and erroneous to regard high income as the cause of

693-408: A lower class, divided between the working poor and the unemployed underclass. Some definitions of class look only at numerical measures, such as wealth or income. Others take into account qualitative factors, such as education, culture, and social status. There is no consensus on which of these variables is essential and which are merely common correlates. Social class is sometimes presented as

770-414: A man's power and prestige, just as it is erroneous to think that a man's fever is the cause of his disease...The economic source of power and prestige is not income primarily, but the ownership of capital goods (including patents, good will, and professional reputation). Such ownership should be distinguished from the possession of consumers' goods, which is an index rather than a cause of social standing. In

847-469: A marketing device to attract wealthy new residents, the area once awkwardly named Athensville became the more culturally glamorous Ardmore ( Ardmore is a place name found in Ireland and Scotland) in 1873. The Pennsylvania Railroad built its main line during the early 19th century as part of the Main Line of Public Works that spanned Pennsylvania. Later in the century, the railroad, which owned much of

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924-864: A more communal perspective, with a strong respect for authority. Middle-class parents tend to emphasize internal standards and values, while working-class parents emphasize external values. Sociologist Dennis Gilbert uses a list of values identified by Melvin Kohn to be typical of the professional middle and working class. Middle-class parents' values for their children and themselves included: "Consideration of Others, Self-Control, Curiosity, Happiness, Honesty, Tolerance of Nonconformity , Open to Innovation, Self-Direction." This contrasted with surveyed working class individuals, who reported: "Manners, Obedience, Neatness, Cleanliness, Strong Punishment of Deviant Behavior, Stock to Old Ways, People not Trustworthy, Strict Leadership" as values for themselves and their children. There

1001-510: A more objective manner. Members of the upper class control and own significant portions of corporate America, and may exercise indirect power through the investment of capital. The high salaries and the potential for amassing great wealth through stock options have greatly increased the power and visibility of the "corporate elite". Wynnewood Station Wynnewood station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania . It

1078-400: A parent or volunteer mentor, are also considered. ) Generally, the higher the ranking on such a scale, the higher the skill and education levels required to perform it. Some sociologists consider the higher income and prestige of higher ranked jobs to simply be incentives to encourage members of society to obtain the skills necessary to perform important work. This is an important mechanism in

1155-458: A pervasive influence on almost everything…the clothes we wear…the television shows we watch…the colors we paint our homes in and the names we give our pets…Our position in the social hierarchy affects our health, happiness, and even how long we will live. In some models, certain occupations are considered to be desirable and influential, while others are considered to be menial, repetitive, and unpleasant. (In some cases, non-occupational roles such as

1232-465: A prologue to upper-middle class careers, delays marriage and encourages informal, relatively egalitarian association between men and women." In a 2018 Gallup poll, 2% of Americans self-identified as upper class, 16% as upper-middle class, 43% as middle class, 30% as working class, and 9% as lower class. The six social classes that provide the basis for the Gilbert model are determined based on

1309-461: A proper share of the American dream . The upper middle class has grown... and its composition has changed. Increasingly salaried managers and professionals have replaced individual business owners and independent professionals. The key to the success of the upper-middle-class is the growing importance of educational certification... its lifestyles and opinions are becoming increasingly normative for

1386-419: A society to be stratified in a continuous gradation between high and low without any sharp lines…in reality…there is only a limited number of types of occupations…People in similar positions…grow similar in their thinking and lifestyle…they form a pattern, and this pattern creates social class. It is impossible to understand people's behavior…without the concept of social stratification, because class position has

1463-787: A strong influence on the mundane lives of people, affecting everything from the manner in which they raise their children, initiation, and maintenance of romantic relationship to the color in which they paint their houses. The strongest cultural differences seem to run along the professional middle class-working class divide . A recent increase in residential class segregation and the overall tendency of individual to associate mostly with those of equal standing as themselves has further strengthened class differences. Once defined, social classes can be considered to feature their own sub-cultures, including different ways of socializing children. Social classes form social groups so large that they feature considerable diversity within and any statement regarding

1540-474: A third of the population is lower middle class. (Typical income $ 40,000) The core of the working class is made up of semi-skilled machine operators, low-paid craftsmen, clerical workers, and retail salespeople. These include both blue-collar and pink-collar jobs. A high school diploma is usually required, and some attended but did not graduate from college. Their tasks are habitual and mechanized, with brief on-the-job training, and are closely supervised. It

1617-660: A well-taught manly gesture...Not once did I hear a middle-class parent scornfully-or even sympathetically-call a crying boy a sissy or in any way reprimand him for his tears...even as young as six or seven, the working-class boys seemed more emotionally controlled-more like miniature men-than those in the middle-class families. Gender roles are also viewed differently by those in the higher and lower social classes. Middle class individuals, who were more open towards "nonconformity" and emphasized individual self-direction as well as critical thinking, were also less stringent in their application of gender roles. Working class individuals, on

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1694-403: Is a strong correlation between these values and the occupational activities of the respondents. The job characteristics of middle class respondents included: "Work Independently, Varied Tasks, Work with People or Data," versus working-class parents of reported "Close Supervision and Repetitive Work." Not once in a professional middle-class home did I see a young boy shake his father's hand in

1771-474: Is currently unused. The space was formerly occupied by Main Line Baking Company (2010-2016), Pup's Cafe (2009), Quaker Coffee (2005 - 2008), and Irish Bake Shoppe (1999 - 2005). The ticket office at this station is open weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (excluding holidays). There are 239 daily and permit parking spaces at the station. This station is 7.4 track miles from Suburban Station . In 2017,

1848-703: Is estimated that this class includes roughly one-fourth of the population. (Typical Income: $ 25,000) The working poor class includes unskilled labourers, many pink-collar jobs , and lower-paid factory workers. Income depends on the number of workers in the family and the number of weeks that they work. Some have not finished high school. Unable to save money and when retired the working poor depend heavily on their social security pensions to live. (Typical Income $ 15,000) These people are under-employed. They suffer from low education, low employability , and/or low income. Some can not work because of their age or disability. Hard times might be magnified because they belong to

1925-658: Is illustrated by the community of Mount Pleasant, in Tredyffrin Township just north of Wayne. This is a community that became predominantly Black in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As of the 1920 census , most of the Black residents in the Mount Pleasant region, or their parents, had come from the South . Many of the men in this neighborhood, along Henry Avenue and Mount Pleasant Avenue, were employed by

2002-603: Is located at Wynnewood and Penn Roads in Philadelphia 's western suburbs, and is served by most Paoli/Thorndale Line trains with the exception of several express runs. The station was built in 1870 by the Wilson Brothers architectural firm for the Pennsylvania Railroad , and is one of the historic station buildings on the line built before 1930. The station offers a small retail space, which

2079-602: Is served by numerous modes of transportation among which are three commuter rail lines operated by SEPTA . Connecting the region directly with Center City Philadelphia are the Paoli/Thorndale Line which shares the former Pennsylvania Railroad four track Keystone Corridor grade with Amtrak, and the Manayunk/Norristown Line which operates over the former Reading Railroad Norristown grade. The light rail Norristown High Speed Line runs over

2156-614: Is the group in society most shaped by higher education . A bachelor's degree is usually required, and graduate studies and professional degrees are becoming increasingly required. People in this class include professionals , managers , officials , and small business owners. Children in high school strive to prepare themselves for upper-middle-class jobs because these types of jobs are symbols of success. Upper-middle-class people are able to purchase status symbols such as spacious homes. They are convinced that they deserve what they have achieved and are mostly satisfied that they have achieved

2233-760: The Norristown High Speed Line . The Norristown High Speed Line runs along the Main Line from Upper Darby to Ithan Avenue Station and Villanova Station before making a northward turn at the junction of Lancaster Avenue and the Blue Route toward Norristown . Private clubs played an important role in the development of the Main Line, offering social gathering places and facilities for cricket, golf, tennis, squash, and horseback riding to wealthy or socially connected families. Among them are: Other recent social clubs have become an important part of

2310-537: The Philadelphia and Western Railroad line between 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby and Norristown Transportation Center in Norristown . Amtrak's intercity Keystone Service (New York City to Harrisburg) and Pennsylvanian (New York City to Pittsburgh) also serve the region with stops at the jointly operated Amtrak/SEPTA stations at Ardmore and Paoli . The main thoroughfare through

2387-604: The board of directors of their businesses. Even though the capitalist class is a very small class of super-rich capitalists at the top of the hierarchy, its impact on the economy and society is far beyond their numbers. These people contribute their money to political parties and are often owners of newspapers or television stations. They have investments that affect millions of people in the labour force . They tend to only associate with other people from their own class, rarely interacting with people with below-average incomes. Even their children are usually segregated , attending only

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2464-506: The functionalist approach to sociology and economics view social classes as components essential for the survival of complex societies, such as American society. Assortative mating in humans has been widely observed and studied. It includes the tendency of humans to prefer to mate within their socio-economic peers, that is, those with similar social standing, job prestige, educational attainment, or economic background as they themselves. This tendency has always been present in society: there

2541-404: The rich and powerful, an upper middle class consisting of highly educated and affluent professionals, a middle class consisting of college-educated individuals employed in white-collar industries, a lower middle class composed of semi-professionals with typically some college education, a working class constituted by clerical and blue collar workers, whose work is highly routinized, and

2618-506: The " unalienable right " to " Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ". The phrase " second-class citizen " has a strong negative connotation in national politics. In practice, socioeconomic mobility in the United States is relatively low, compared to Nordic countries and Canada, and income inequality in the United States is relatively high. Educational attainment and income are strongly correlated , but relatively low funding for K-12 schools in poor neighborhoods raises concerns about

2695-505: The 1940 Grant / Hepburn / Stewart motion picture The Philadelphia Story . The railroad placed stops about two minutes apart, starting with Overbrook. The surrounding communities became known by the railroad station names which started at Broad Street Station in Center City Philadelphia and went on to 32nd Street Station, replaced by 30th Street Station in 1933, the 52nd Street Station (decommissioned), and then

2772-698: The American construct of social class completely. Most definitions of a class structure group its members according to wealth , income , education , type of occupation , and membership within a hierarchy, specific subculture, or social network. Most concepts of American social class do not focus on race or ethnicity as a characteristic within the stratification system, although these factors are closely related. Sociologists Dennis Gilbert , William Thompson, Joseph Hickey, and James Henslin have proposed class systems with six distinct social classes. These class models feature an upper or capitalist class consisting of

2849-786: The Main Line Community such as: The school districts that serve the Main Line are Lower Merion School District in Montgomery County, Radnor Township School District and School District of Haverford Township in Delaware County, and Tredyffrin/Easttown School District and Great Valley School District in Chester County. The region has numerous nationally ranked public and private schools. Among them are: Public high schools Private schools Parochial schools Social class in

2926-482: The Main Line include nineteenth and early twentieth-century railroad suburbs and post-war subdivisions, as well as a few surviving buildings from before the suburban development era. The area today is known primarily for several educational institutions as well as robust suburban life. The original Main Line towns are widely considered to follow the acronym "Old Maids Never Wed And Have Babies." From Philadelphia , they are: These seven towns are characterized as one of

3003-488: The Main Line is U.S. Route 30 which follows Lancaster Avenue (formerly the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike ) running east to west and serves as the backbone of the region by connecting a large majority of its towns and municipalities. Other highways serving the area are the Schuylkill Expressway ( I-76 ) which connects it to Philadelphia, and the Blue Route ( I-476 ) which runs north to south connecting

3080-457: The Main Line stations: Overbrook , Merion , Narberth , Wynnewood , Ardmore , Haverford , Bryn Mawr , Rosemont , Villanova , Radnor , St. Davids , Wayne , Strafford , Devon , Berwyn , Daylesford , Paoli , and Malvern . At least five of these station buildings, along with the first Bryn Mawr Hotel, were designed by Wilson Brothers & Company . A branch line of the Main Line (currently known as SEPTA's Cynwyd Line ) extended to

3157-475: The Main Line suburbs. Part of the national trend of suburbanization, this drove rapid investment, prosperity, and growth that turned the area into greater Philadelphia's most affluent and fashionable region. Estates with sweeping lawns and towering maples, the débutante balls and the Merion Cricket Club , which drew crowds of 25,000 spectators to its matches in the early 1900s, were the setting for

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3234-479: The Main Line to the communities of Exton, Whitford, Downingtown, and Thorndale. The railroad line then continued on to Chicago , with major stations at Lancaster , Harrisburg and Pittsburgh . The railroad, since taken over by Amtrak , is still in service, although its route is slightly different from the original. It also serves the Paoli/Thorndale Line of the SEPTA Regional Rail system. It

3311-472: The Main Line towns in the 19th century. They became home to sprawling country estates belonging to Philadelphia's wealthiest families, and over the decades became a bastion of " old money ". The Main Line includes some of the wealthiest communities in the country, including Gladwyne , Villanova , Radnor , Haverford , and Merion . Today, the railroad is Amtrak 's Keystone Corridor , along which SEPTA 's Paoli/Thorndale Line operates. The Main Line region

3388-515: The United States Many Americans believe in a social class system that has three different groups or classes: the American rich (upper class), the American middle class , and the American poor . More complex models propose as many as a dozen class levels, including levels such as high upper class, upper class, upper middle class, middle class, lower middle class, working class, and lower class, while others disagree with

3465-399: The assumption of how class structure develops out of the economic system. They are delineated by household income, and characterized by factors such as workplace autonomy and educational attainment. Although the social hierarchy is most obvious at the extremes, the differences between classes begin to become blurred when moving away from one of the extremes and towards the centre to where

3542-444: The average total weekday boardings at this station was 765, and the average total weekday alightings was 561. The Wynnewood Civic Association is a non-profit group of volunteers that maintains the landscaping and actively works to preserve and beautify the historic landmark. The train station scene from the 1962 film David and Lisa was filmed at this station. Wynnewood has two low-level side platforms with pathways connecting

3619-491: The city limits to, traditionally, Bryn Mawr and ultimately Paoli , an area of about 200 square miles (520 km). The upper- and upper middle-class enclave has historically been one of the bastions of " old money " in the Northeast, along with places like Long Island's North Shore (AKA: "Gold Coast"); Westchester County, New York ; Middlesex County, Massachusetts ; and Fairfield County, Connecticut . Neighborhoods along

3696-643: The communities now known as Bala and Cynwyd (via Wynnefield Station in Philadelphia), then proceeded to the West Laurel Hill Cemetery , where there was once a station, and crossed back into Philadelphia over the Schuylkill River via the famous Manayunk Bridge . Broad Street Station was replaced with Suburban Station in 1930, and 30th Street Station replaced 32nd Street three years later. Suburban service now extends west of

3773-449: The economic divide and social bifurcation of Americans that has occurred since 1960 in his book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960–2010 . Murray described diverging trends between upper and lower class white Americans in the half century, after the death of John F. Kennedy . He focused on white Americans to argue that economic decline in that period was not experienced solely by minorities , whom he brings into his argument in

3850-438: The economic theory of capitalism and is compatible with the notion that class is mutable and determined by a combination of choices and opportunities. In other cases, class or status is inherited. For example, being the son or daughter of a wealthy individual , may carry a higher status and different cultural connotations than being a member of nouveau riche ("new money") or have a planned path of positive freedom. Those taking

3927-502: The first atlases to refer specifically to the "Main Line" as a socio-cultural entity includes: The following towns are often grouped with the core Main Line: Beyond these nine communities, many others have grown in the 20th century, either in between the core towns or nearby them, including: These communities are primarily residential and consist of larger lot sizes than in the nine core towns. All of them, except Gladwyne, are on

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4004-406: The human capital of low-income children, high levels of socioeconomic residential segregation , and low levels of progressiveness in the tax-and-transfer system. Income in the United States is most commonly measured by United States Census Bureau in terms of either household or individual and remains one of the most prominent indicators of class status. As 82% of all households, 16% of those in

4081-448: The land surrounding the tracks, encouraged the development of this picturesque environment by building way stations along the portion of its track closest to Philadelphia. The benefits of what was touted as "healthy yet cultivated country living" attracted Philadelphia's social elite , many of whom had one house in the city and another larger "country home" on the Main Line. In the 20th century, many wealthy Philadelphia families moved to

4158-775: The last few chapters of the book. He argued that class strain had cleaved white Americans into two distinct, highly segregated strata: "an upper class, defined by educational attainment, and a new lower class, characterized by the lack of it." Much of his argument is centered on a notion of self-selective sorting that began in the 1960s and 1970s, when people overwhelmingly began marrying and living in areas surrounded largely by people of similar socioeconomic characteristics, leading to not only an exacerbation of existing economic divides, but an unprecedented socio-cultural divide that had not existed before in America. French economist Thomas Piketty specializes in economic inequality by taking

4235-445: The least skilled; public health problems, such as obesity and diabetes, which can limit education and employment; the sheer size of the income gap between the rich which makes it harder to climb the proverbial income ladder when the rungs are farther apart; and poverty, since those with low income have significantly lower rates of mobility than middle and higher income individuals. In 2012, Charles Murray described what he saw as

4312-435: The lower middle and working classes are. Gilbert instead argues that the cleavage of the top two "privileged classes" from the bottom four classes is the most important division. (Typical income: $ 1.5 million, mostly from assets) These include heirs , top executives of large corporations , and owners of large, privately held companies . They primarily earn income from assets that they directly control, such as by being on

4389-575: The most elite preparatory schools and universities. (Typical income $ 200,000; for Working rich $ 500,000) Gilbert describes the growing segment of the " working rich " as still part of the upper middle class, consisting of affluent professionals (i.e. law and medicine) and highly successful small business owners. These are the next 4%, and are not considered part of the capitalist class because they still primarily earn income from employment in their jobs, or partnership and self-employment in their businesses, not asset ownership. The upper middle class

4466-415: The other hand, emphasized gender roles. While working-class people have more and more assimilated to middle class culture regarding their view and application of gender roles, differences remain. Professional class people are more likely to have an egalitarian distribution of work in their household with both spouses being equals in heterosexual marriages. According to Dennis Gilbert, "College life, generally

4543-435: The other hand, public colleges and universities typically charge much less, particularly for state residents. Also, scholarships offered by universities and government do exist, and low-interest loans are available. Still, the average cost of education, by all accounts, is increasing. The attainment of post-secondary and graduate degrees is, perhaps, the most important feature of a middle and upper middle class person, with

4620-505: The passage above, Davis and Moore argue that income is one of the most prominent features of social class; it is not one of its causes. In other words, income does not determine the status of an individual or household but rather reflects on that status. Some say that income and prestige are the incentives provided by society in order to fill needed positions with the most qualified and motivated personnel possible. The New York Times has used income quintiles to define class. It has assigned

4697-644: The primary bastions of old money in Southeastern Pennsylvania. They are comparably more dense than other suburbs and have lively, walkable downtowns. All of these communities were established along Lancaster Avenue prior to the railroad's construction. As early as 1887, Bala and Cynwyd were also included in atlases of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Lower Merion Township and Montgomery County. By 1908, one of

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4774-404: The quintiles from lowest to highest as lower class , lower middle class , middle class, upper middle class , and upper class. These definitions equate class with income, permitting people to move from class to class as their income changes. Income is one of the most commonly used attributes of a household to determine its class status. The relationship between income, which mostly arises from

4851-443: The railroad and have their own station stop. There is no collective data for the Main Line, so all data is by ZIP Code . The median family income on the Main Line is $ 192,630. In comparison, the median family income for the state of Pennsylvania is $ 87,500. The following ZIP codes are those within the previously mentioned municipalities that make up the Main Line. All data are from the 2022 American Communities Survey. The Main Line

4928-408: The railroad, as quarry workers, or as chauffeurs and gardeners by private families. The occupations often given for women were cooks and laundresses. This remains a predominantly Black community to the present day. Today, the Main Line is another name for the western suburbs of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue (U.S. Route 30) and the former main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and extending from

5005-914: The region with the Northeast Extension and the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the north, and to Philadelphia International Airport and I-95 to the south. Along the northern edge of the Main Line, US 202 runs from the Schuylkill Expressway in a southwesterly direction, crossing US 30 in Frazer . SEPTA also commissions suburban buses on Routes 105 and 106 to run from the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby to Rosemont (Route 105) and Paoli (Route 106). These buses run almost entirely along Lancaster Avenue. SEPTA also offers light rail service through

5082-571: The relationship between the distribution of income and the class structure is...blurred in the middle...we saw dual-income working class marchers looking down on single-income upper-middle class marchers. In sum, the class structure as we have defined it...does not exactly match the distribution of household income. Sociologist Dennis Gilbert states that it is possible for households to out-earn other households over higher class standing through increasing their number of income earners. He furthermore states that household size also played an essential role, as

5159-424: The scarcity of a certain skill, may however, prove to be more complex than initially perceived. While the idea is that income reflects status, household income may just be the product of two or more incomes. In 2005, 42% of American households had two or more income earners. The vast majority (77%) of households in the top quintile had two or more income earners. This means that the majority of household income in

5236-446: The standard of living for two persons living off one upper middle class personal income may very well be higher than that of a household with four members living off two working class personal incomes. The combination of two or more incomes allows for households to increase their income substantially without moving higher on the occupational ladder or attaining higher educational degrees . The favorable economic position of households in

5313-445: The top quintiles , had two income earners the discrepancy between household and personal income is quite considerable. while the median personal income (including only those above the age of 25) was $ 32,140. Per capita household income, the income a household is able to allocate to each member of the household is also an important variable in determining a given household's standard of living . A high household income may be offset by

5390-452: The top quintile are the result of two income earners pooling their resources, establishing a close link between perceived affluence and the number of income earners in a given household. This raises the question of whether or not the combination of incomes results in higher social status. Of course, there is no definite answer as class is a vague sociological concept. The parade of income earners with height representing income suggest that

5467-453: The top two quintiles is in some cases the result of combined income, rather than demand for a single worker. Tertiary education (or "higher education") is required for many middle-class professions, depending on how the term middle class is to be defined. Tertiary education is rarely free, but the costs vary, widely. Tuition at elite private colleges often exceeds $ 200,000 for a four-year program, although financial aid may be significant. On

5544-413: The university being regarded as the most essential institution and gatekeeper of the professional middle class . Educational attainment is also directly linked to income. Per the table below in this section, as of 2018 less than 40% of American adults over the age of 25 had a Bachelor's degree or higher. Although 90% of the population has graduated from high school, the average American does not have

5621-401: The upper class it is difficult, if not outright impossible, to determine the exact number or percentage of American households that could be identified as being members of the upper-class(es). Most sociologists use the richest 1% of the population, but others use different benchmarks and characteristics. Income and wealth statistics may serve as a helpful guideline as they can be measured in

5698-558: The whole society. It is in fact a porous class, open to people... who earn the right credentials. (Typical income $ 85,000) Almost all in the middle class have attended an institute of tertiary education , though some didn't graduate with degrees. The most educated will become semi-professionals (i.e. teachers ), or have low-level managerial jobs. Skilled technicians and tradespeople are also included in this social class . Their jobs require significant skill, are somewhat supervised, and are fairly well paid. Gilbert estimates that about

5775-612: Was long part of Lenapehoking , the homeland of the matrilineal Lenape Native Americans (the "true people", or "Delaware Indians"). Europeans arrived in the 1600s, after William Penn sold a tract of land, called the Welsh Tract , to a group of Welsh Quakers in London in 1681. This accounts for the many Welsh place names in the area. However, what might be termed the "Celtification" of many Main Line place and street names occurred long after colonial times. So, for instance, as

5852-448: Was no historical area when most of the individuals preferred to sort, and had actually sorted, negatively into couples or matched, randomly, along these traits. This trend is evidenced by the search criteria of online dating site users. A 2022 study suggested that factors that contribute to low levels of intergenerational mobility in the United States include a disparity in returns to human capital , low levels of public investment in

5929-744: Was not only extremely wealthy people on the Main Line in the period 1880–1920. Wealthy households required large numbers of servants in order to maintain their lifestyle. Often these servants were Black migrants from the South and recent immigrants from Europe. For example, in the 1900 census, Tredyffrin Township was 13.5% Black; another 15% had been born in Europe. The two largest countries of origin were Italy and Ireland. The corresponding figures for Lower Merion Township were 6% Black and 15% born in Europe; almost 11% were from Ireland. Another dimension of this story

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