Could the income gap between average African Americans and the American middle class actually widen with an improving economy? Here is why this is a strong possibility.

Less than half of all Americans consider themselves middle class, according to a recent poll by ABC. The poll also states that $55,000 is the average middle class income, $35,000 the working class standard, and $95,000 is the benchmark for those who consider themselves well-off. What do these numbers mean to African Americans?

It's hard to say how blacks measure up, since comparable statistics on the black middle class are scarce. We do know the black American median income is about $35,000, spot on with what the ABC poll determined to be an average working class salary. Also, according to the US Census Bureau, of all Americans considered black in 2008, roughly 25% had a median income of between $50,000 and $99,000.

We can assume three things based on this data: