Thirty years ago, CommonWealth magazine launched with a cover story that dove into the challenges facing middle-class families in Massachusetts. That piece, titled “On Heritage Road: In the heart of suburbia, anxieties about the new economy,” was something of a founding document for our newsroom – an example of the in-depth stories our magazine would be known for on a topic that is central to our organization’s core mission.

Three decades later, the central premise of “On Heritage Road” – that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make it in the middle class – still resonates today as we, as a state and a nation, are still confronting the same questions. Is getting ahead possible anymore? Is it luck or effort? Has the economy changed so much that the best we can do is not slide backward?

These are the questions our journalists will investigate throughout this anniversary year. Though we are now a fully digital publication and we’ve changed our name to CommonWealth Beacon, in the coming weeks and months, we will bring you back to Heritage Road to see how life has changed – or not – in the intervening years. We will also explore what the term middle class means for different communities, how policy decisions have affected economic mobility, and the cost stressors affecting people across Massachusetts. It’s work we’re excited to dive into, and we look forward to sharing it with you.

30 years

It’s hard work making it in the middle class

If there’s a single unifying theme to the Massachusetts middle-class outlook in 2026, it’s contradiction: We have more than ever, and in many cases, that’s not enough to enjoy the stability of prior generations …

by Chris Lisinski

On Heritage Road

This article first appeared in CommonWealth’s Spring 1996 issue, the premiere issue of the magazine.

by Dave Denison

In Mass., the middle class is holding on, but financial anxiety continues to climb

A new poll finds that most residents say their quality of life is good, but many expect to be worse off next year.

by Jennifer Smith

For Mass. residents, housing is where affordability hits hardest

New poll finds housing prices eating household budgets, and homeownership feels out of reach.

by Jennifer Smith

‘I want a legacy for my family’

For years, small business ownership has served as a “gateway” to the middle class, particularly for residents in Gateway Cities like Holyoke where economic mobility…

by Hallie Claflin