Old Money

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This article is about the socioeconomic term. For other uses, see Old money (disambiguation).
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Old Money is a term for the established upper class. It is typically used to refer to families who have been wealthy for several generations, as distinguished them from the nouveau riche and parvenus.

According to W. Lloyd Warner, according to surveys conducted by him and his research assitants, in the late 1930s the American upper class was divided into two groups: lower-upper and upper-upper. The lower-upper class includes those with “new money,” or money made from investments, business ventures, and so forth. The upper-upper class includes those aristocratic and “high-society” families with “old money” who have been rich for generations. These extremely wealthy people live off the income from their inherited riches. The upper-upper class is more prestigious than the lower-upper class.

Bourgeoisie Upper class Ruling class Nobility White-collar
Petite bourgeoisie Upper middle class Creative class Gentry Blue-collar
Proletariat Middle class Working class Nouveau riche/Parvenu Pink-collar
Lumpenproletariat Lower middle class Lower class Old Money Gold-collar
Peasant/Serf Slave class Underclass Classlessness
Social class in the United States
Upper class Middle class Lower class Income Educational attainment