Upper Middle — Data & Research

Research and data about upper-middle-class American life. Status reports, taste tests, and analytics on income, spending, identity, and lifestyle.

Latest

Status Symbols & Spending — There are haves and have nots. And there are have Rolexes and have not Rolexes.
Dogs & Walkies — Our relationships with dogs are juvenile in the nicest possible way.
Second Homes & Dream Homes — Where we want to go is always about where we’re at.
Sex & Attraction — We're not really monogamists. We're romantic institutionalists.
Financial Planning & Retirement — Financially speaking, we've got systems not convictions.
Therapy & Therapyspeak — You can't gaslight us. But we can gaslight you.
Investing & Risk — Having money doesn't mean that you're good with it.
Guilt & Pleasure — Man, we really don't like ourselves.
Nepotism & Family Capital — Most of us get a leg up. But that's not really the thing that matters.
Gardening & Planting — For people with no time on their hands, getting dirt under their fingernails is a way of reclaiming land they already own. Also, making pesto.
Neighborhood & Housing — For members of the productive professional class, anything that isn't optimized can feel like an indulgence. It's why friction feels like warmth.
Self-Presentation & Self-Misrepresentation — Most of us lie (just a little), tell jokes that double as confessions, and assume hardship is less awkward to bring up than genuine hard work.
Taste Test: Water Bottles
Taste Test: Scented Candles
Taste Test: Literary Tote Bags
Taste Test: Dog Breeds
Taste Test: Women's Leggings
Taste Test: Subway Reading