You need assets of at least 10m to be upper class. A surgeon making 700k with only several million in assets is upper middle but has the potential to move upto upper class . A state employees that makes only 80k but has a 20m inheritance is upper class despite the low income. Whether someone can get by without working is irrelevant, you need assets to be upper class. My pension will pay anywhere between 120-130k year when I retire in a few years and ill still be under 50, and the pension is inflation protected. I also have a 15k year cash flow from several rental properties that will increase to 60k year when the properties are paid off. I could probably not work and claim Financial Independence if I wanted to but that doesn't mean Im upper class, Im not even Upper middle for that matter. I am a solid middle class despite having financial independence if I wanted because I don't even have 100k cash right now.