summarizes the level of consciousness most Americans have regarding social class. that sociologists have no clear-cut, agreed-upon definition of social class. people who rank close to one another in terms of property, power, and prestige. Wealth and income are not synonymous. It is possible to have great wealth and little income or little wealth but a high income. Wealth and income are unevenly distributed in the United States with a large and growing gap separating the richest Americans from the poorest.