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
Equitable Growth hosts Econ 101 virtual event on how U.S. social insurance programs boost economic mobility
December 1, 2025
December 1, 2025
Factsheet: U.S. economic mobility and policies to increase upward mobility
June 17, 2025
June 17, 2025
Changing Opportunity: Sociological Mechanisms Underlying Growing Class Gaps and Shrinking Race Gaps in Economic Mobility
October 9, 2025
October 9, 2025
Race and the lack of intergenerational economic mobility in the United States
February 18, 2020
February 18, 2020
Explore Content in Economic Mobility422
Wealth as a driver of income and consumption mobility in the United States
June 7, 2023
June 7, 2023
Intergenerational Mobility using Income, Consumption, and Wealth
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June 7, 2023
Police in public schools harm students, leading to far-reaching socioeconomic inequalities alongside less safe schools
April 19, 2023
April 19, 2023
Examining the history of the U.S. racial wealth divide shows stagnating progress on closing these disparities
February 24, 2023
February 24, 2023
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