Washington, D.C. — 93.6 million of America’s workers (60.7 percent of the labor force in 2023) are working class. A new Center for American Progress article updating previous CAP research offers key demographic and economic insights for policymakers who want to improve economic conditions for the working class.
Although the working class makes up a smaller share of the workforce every year as college attainment increases, the working-class economic experience remains the most widely shared in the United States. Key takeaways from the updated analysis that policymakers should know about the working class to deliver solutions that meet their needs include:
- The majority of working-class workers work in services. 78 percent of the working class works in services, with 12.8 percent working in construction, 8.3 percent working in manufacturing, and less than 1 percent working in agriculture.
- Working-class people make significantly less compared with college-educated workers. The median worker without a four-year college degree earned $47,000 in 2022, compared with $85,000 for the median college-educated worker. Working-class occupations tend to offer far lower pay compared with common occupations held by workers with college degrees.
- It’s harder for the working class to find jobs. The unemployment rate for the working class was twice as high in 2023, at just less than 5 percent, compared with a 2.3 percent unemployment rate for workers with four-year college degrees.
“Policymakers need to understand that the working class in America is large, diverse, and struggling economically,” said Aurelia Glass, policy analyst at CAP and author of the article. “A plan to strengthen working families must be accessible to the whole of the working class and meaningfully address the economic factors that have created low wages and few opportunities for upward mobility.”
Read the article: “Understanding the Working Class and the Challenges It Faces” by Aurelia Glass
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].