middle class

The nation's tax policy has helped the rich keep more of their income. But the middle class isn't taking advantage of the same benefits.

Nearly one third of Americans who were raised in the middle class dropped down the economic ladder as adults -- and that's before the Great Recession hit.

From 1979 to 2007, average household income for the nation's top 1% nearly tripled, while middle-class incomes grew by less than 40%, according to a new report from a research arm of Congress.

What do you get when college costs skyrocket but incomes barely budge? Yet another blow to the middle class.

Sure, the wealthy will make out like bandits in the tax-cut deal, but middle-class and lower-income folks will reap benefits too.

A day after Republicans won control of the House of Representatives, President Obama said that he is willing to negotiate to ensure the Bush tax cuts are extended for the middle class by Jan. 1.

Odds are good that the middle-class will get to keep their tax cuts. The question now is for how long.

Returns have been lousy, but the companies that manage the money keep posting profits. Without a fairer shake, many middle-class investors will quit playing.

People who get paid for shopping and sharing, the status of health insurance premiums for the middle class and other consumer-focused items from Thursday's Times.

The economic headlines are better than they were a year ago, but living standards continue to erode for many Americans.