Economic mobility measures the relationship between a parent and child’s economic outcomes, usually in terms of income. Too often, an individual’s economic outcome in the United States is determined by parental resources, race, and privilege, rather than individual effort and talent. In addition, rising economic inequality over the past several decades means that the consequences of stalled or falling economic mobility have gotten worse. Equitable Growth seeks to understand how today’s inequalities could be foreclosing equality of opportunity for future generations.
Featured work
Wealth as a driver of income and consumption mobility in the United States
June 7, 2023
June 7, 2023
New research suggests that social circles affect upward mobility among U.S. children and young adults
September 7, 2022
September 7, 2022
Race and the lack of intergenerational economic mobility in the United States
February 18, 2020
February 18, 2020
Factsheet: What the research says about the economic impacts of reproductive care
June 27, 2022
June 27, 2022
Explore Content in Economic Mobility398
How combating voter suppression can help close the economic divides between Black and White Americans and spur U.S. economic growth
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The consequences of political inequality and voter suppression for U.S. economic inequality and growth
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Expert Focus: Understanding the economic impacts of climate change
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Boosting wages when U.S. labor markets are not competitive
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U.S. labor markets require a new approach to higher education
January 14, 2021
January 14, 2021
In the United States, it’s not what you know but who your parents know
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The Intergenerational Transmission of Employers and the Earnings of Young Workers
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Equitable Growth’s Household Pulse graphs: September 30–October 12
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