 Other contemporary sociologists, such as Dennis Gilbert, argue that this group is not part of the upper class but rather part of the upper middle class, as its standard of living is largely derived from occupation-generated income and its affluence falls far short of that attained by the top percentile.The super-rich, according to Beeghley, are those able to live off their wealth without depending on occupation-derived income.This demographic constitutes roughly 0.9% of American households.