What Americans earn.

• Position: GRAPH > NATIONAL

As the article "Does Class Still, Matter?" discussed, class still plays a role in America, though perhaps less significantly than it once did.

But what does it mean to belong to one class or another? Class can have many connotations, some rotating to revel, of education, social customs, and status in the community.

But class is often connected to money. When people use terms like "upper class," "lower class," or "middle class," how much money people have or earn is usually part of the equation.

One measure of the amount of money people earn is median income: the midpoint at which half the people in a given group earn more, and half earn less. Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau reports the median incomes of people by region, age group, and family status.

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ANALYZE THE GRAPH

1. If someone in the 35-44 age group earns 30 percent more than the median income for that group, about how much is he or she earning?

   (a) $68,400

   (b) $70,000

   (c) $74,000

   (d) $77,000

2. The median income in the West and--is about $15,000 less than the median income of married couples.

3. What is the rough difference between the median income of naturalized citizens and noncitizens?

   (a) $11,000

   (b) $12,00

   (c) $10,000

   (d) $9,500

4. What is the rough difference between the median income of native-born Americans and people who are noncitizens?

   (a) $8,500

   (b) $9,000

   (c) $9,100

   (d) $10,000

5. The median income of the 45-54 age group is about $--,approximately $4,300 more than that of the 35-44 age group.

6. Suppose plumbers, not shown, have a median income about $12,000 higher than the 25-34 group. What would plumbers' median income be?

   (a) $50,000

   (b) $58,000

   (c)...