Some say 'millionaire is the new middle class'—here's how many Americans are actually worth $1 million

According to self-made millionaire Grant Cardone, "millionaire is the new middle class." And a new survey from Charles Schwab reveals that many Americans may side with Cardone: Survey respondents say it takes an average of $1.1 million to be "financially comfortable."

But how many Americans are actually worth over $1 million and, therefore, "comfortable"?

According to a 2017 report from Spectrem Group, as of the end of 2016, there were a record 10.8 million millionaires nationwide.

There were 9.4 million individuals with a net worth of $1 million to $5 million, 1.3 million individuals with a net worth of $5 million to $25 million and 156,000 households worth more than $25 million, the report says.

That's more millionaires nationwide than ever before, but still represents just a sliver of the population: less than 10 percent. That means, by the Charles Schwab survey's standard, less than 10 percent of American households qualify as "comfortable."

What's more, an increasing number of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. One in three say they couldn't come up with $2,000 if faced with an emergency.

Meanwhile, even households earning mid six-figures report feeling pinched.

Don't miss: Here's how much money Americans think is enough to live comfortably

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