A recent study precisely establishes the income levels of each social class.
This is the obsession of the moment, at a time when there is talk of an increase in taxes: protecting the most deprived, not impacting the middle class and touching the wallets of the richest. A triptych which continues to be hammered out but which is, to say the least, abstract. Because honestly, how do you determine if you are poor, average or rather well off? Income alone does not count, it is also a question of the composition of the household. Having or not having children does not allow the same financial latitude. Neither is being in a relationship or single.
A recent study precisely establishes social categories based on income and household members. Established by the Observatory of Inequalities, it brings to light a classification which offers a more precise vision of social categories. And thus allows the French to situate themselves, depending on the composition of their household.
The figures were established from data collected by INSEE for the year 2022. They take into account salary, obviously, but also social benefits and are calculated after payment of income tax. This allowed the organization to calculate the income necessary to belong to these classes, depending on the type of household.
For example, a single person is considered poor if their income is less than 1014 euros per month. Up to 1608 euros, it belongs to the working class, and between 1608 and 2941 euros to the middle class. She is described as wealthy above 2941 euros and rich above 4055 euros per month.
For a couple without children, the poverty threshold is 1,521 euros per month. These couples belong to the middle class if they have 2413 to 4411 euros, and to the wealthy class if their income is greater than 4411 euros. They are rich above 5,600 euros.
For a couple with two children over 14 years old, they are classified as poor if their income is less than 2,534 euros per month, among the middle class between 4,201 and 7,352 euros and as rich above 10,138 euros.
For the Observatory of Inequalities, the poverty threshold corresponds to half of the median income, that is to say the income below which 50% of the population is located and above which the other half is placed. . The popular categories include all people whose income is in the lowest 30%. The middle classes are then found above, just before the wealthy classes. These correspond to the richest 20%. The wealth threshold is set at double the median income.
