Study Data Paints Surprising Picture of Economic Mobility in Mecklenburg

By National Urban League
Published05 PM EST, Fri Nov 22, 2024
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By Steve Harrison and Lisa Worf | WFAE

Study data paints surprising picture of economic mobility in Mecklenburg. Individual income success better than group.

This story is part of a series looking at efforts to improve equity in Charlotte. It is published in partnership with WFAE.

The 2014 study that said the Charlotte area had the worst economic mobility among the nation’s largest 50 metro areas has been updated, with new information that gives insight into why Charlotte ranked so low. It also has surprising data that shows that Mecklenburg County isn’t as bleak as previously thought.
The original “Land of Opportunity Study,” led by a team from Harvard and the University of California-Berkeley, tracked the tax returns of 40 million children and their parents. The study examined children born in the early 1980s to see how they fared in their early 30s by examining tax returns through 2012. The main question: How many children who grew up poor moved to the top quintile or top 20%?

 

 

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