More people are beginning to realize they are no longer in the middle class, according to a recent survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago.
The survey found that proportion of Americans who consider themselves middle class is at the lowest point in the survey's 40-year history. While 88 percent of Americans still see themselves as middle class, that's down four percentage points since the recession started in 2007.
"Even though they say we've came out of it, I think a lot of people feel that we never really have come back to the point where we were," said Debbie Snyder, a citizen of Rock Island who has seen first hand how the recession can change someone's life.
That trend coincides with the difference of income earned between the wealthiest five percent of Americans and the median-income household which has risen 24 percent in 30 years, according to the Census Bureau.
"People are now taking fewer vacations and indulging themselves less than they used to," Snyder added.
And several Americans, including Quad Citians, have lost their jobs and are still earning less than previously.
"I know one person who had a computer programming job and they laid him off. Now, he's working at Hyvee," said Greg Palm of Moline.
The median household income in the Quad Cities is $51,678 per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That number has steadily gone up, but Americans continue to keep a grim outlook.