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The number of Americans who identify themselves as middle class continues to fall.

The share has dropped from roughly 53 percent in 2008 to 44 percent in 2014, according to 

, an associate director of research at the Pew Research Center.

Those numbers, however, are self-reported: They measure the people who choose to check the "middle class" box out of five options. 

 of government data determined that 50 percent of adults now live in middle-income households. 29 percent live in lower-income households, and 21 percent in upper-income households. 

The Pew data confirms that the middle class is actually shrinking, just as individuals self-reported: It's the first time the middle class has been matched in size by the economic tiers above and below it.

Where do you fall? Try the Pew Research Center income calculator

To hear the full discussion on the current state of the American middle class, with Rakesh Kocchar and 

, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, use the audio player above.

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The number of Americans who consider themselves middle class is dropping. But what's the reality?

What does being middle class really mean? Rakesh Kocchar, of the Pew Research Center, and Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, discuss economic realities and income trends.

The state of the American middle class

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