President Trump's new tariffs are the largest in a century and treat some adversaries better than America's allies. Photo: Mandel Nganpedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images Populists such as Vice President JD ...

This is Part 2 in our series on manufacturing in America. Part 1 asked why Americans aren't filling the manufacturing jobs that are already here. Subscribe to the Planet Money newsletter for the next ...

Rent, food and other costs are cheaper than the national average. A duplex boom is attracting middle-income earners to the Midwestern city.

"The middle class is shrinking" might be the assertion of the decade. Progressives and populists alike use it to justify nearly all government interventions, from tariffs to minimum-wage hikes to ...

For many middle-class Americans, kids, marriage, and even a car now feel harder to afford. What that shift could mean for ...

Most Americans guess wrong about which class they belong to. Here's what your 2026 paycheck says about you.

The U.S. economy is productive, wages and incomes are healthy, and consumer spending remains robust. Real income has risen for people across all age brackets and marital statuses, and as more women ...

In the United States and other developed countries, the middle-class has long been the indicator of a strong economy. They’re our teachers, accountants, nurses and more. Having a healthy middle class ...

Members of the American middle class are often the litmus test to find just where someone falls on the spectrum between social status and self-respect. Yes, the grass in the Joneses' yard is always ...