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@Muc-ed-off
There was a rather unpleasant exchange a while ago on here centring on this. A person’s financial situation doesn’t impact their class as much in the UK as it does in the US. On the flip side, one’s heritage and background don’t matter quite as much in the US (nuance below).
In common parlance, “Lower middle class” in the US is what is generally called “working class” in the UK, consisting of tradespeople and service workers (in the US). “Middle class” in the US bridges between the UK’s “working” and “middle” classes, and also includes tradespeople, emergency service workers, teachers, bureaucrats and office workers. The “Upper middle class” over there is part of the “middle class” here, and includes white collar professionals that are making high incomes but aren’t considered rich.
Upper class over there is a mix of celebrities, successful business owners, very successful professionals, top Ivy League educated technocrats, and the secretive, secluded plutocratic establishment (of the 100 richest families in the US now, 90+ of them were also among the 100 richest families back when the US became independent, but they’re great at keeping this quiet). Most people in the US ignore or are ignorant of that last, most powerful, nearly impermeable group of ‘old money’, which is also the closest in characteristics to the UK’s “upper class”.