1 in 10 Americans say they're among working poor

A new poll reveals some good news and bad news concerning Americans’ optimism about the economy.

The unemployment rate has fallen to a 6-year low of 5.9 percent and now, 50 percent of workers are confident they’ll be earning more money one year from today, according to a new poll from Rasmussen.

The bad news? Twelve percent of those surveyed classify themselves as the working poor.

The survey also showed that 85 percent consider themselves to be middle class, and more voters than ever (67 percent) say the U.S. economy is unfair to the middle class. Of those surveyed, 59 percent say the economy is unfair to lower-income Americans.

From Rasmussen:

“Working adults who currently earn over $50,000 a year are more likely than those who make less to think that will increase over the next year,” the report states.

“Most adults who earn less than $30,000 a year consider themselves poor, while most who earn between $30,000 and $200,000 say they are middle class. The majority of those earning over $200,000 a year view themselves upper middle class, but a third consider themselves wealthy. Virtually no adults earning less than $200,000 a year think they are wealthy.”

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