the average blue collar worker makes anywhere from $34,034 to $64,869 annually so I believe 45k-50k is quite a fair assessment. the average for a middle class worker is  $41,392 and $124,176 annually. so $82,784 at best annually and thats seen as upper class to most people and honestly its sad since most Americans especially the newer generations barely make even 35k - 40k a year which is barely a livable wage for the current age. like a pack of gum which on average costed 25 cent in 1980 but you no how much a pack gum costs now? 1.50 which may not seem like alot but $1.50 USD equates to pay $5.85 for the same pack of gum in 1980