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The changing geography of social mobility in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Dylan Shane Connor

    (School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281)

  • Michael Storper

    (Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; Department of Geography and Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom)

Abstract
New evidence shows that intergenerational social mobility—the rate at which children born into poverty climb the income ladder—varies considerably across the United States. Is this current geography of opportunity something new or does it reflect a continuation of long-term trends? We answer this question by constructing data on the levels and determinants of social mobility across American regions over the 20th century. We find that the changing geography of opportunity-generating economic activity restructures the landscape of intergenerational mobility, but factors associated with specific regional structures of interpersonal and racial inequality that have “deep roots” generate persistence. This is evident in the sharp decline in social mobility in the Midwest as economic activity has shifted away from it and the consistently low levels of opportunity in the South even as economic activity has shifted toward it. We conclude that the long-term geography of social mobility can be understood through the deep roots and changing economic fortunes of places.

Suggested Citation

  • Dylan Shane Connor & Michael Storper, 2020. "The changing geography of social mobility in the United States," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 117(48), pages 30309-30317, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:117:y:2020:p:30309-30317
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Magne Mogstad & Joseph P Romano & Azeem M Shaikh & Daniel Wilhelm, 2024. "Inference for Ranks with Applications to Mobility across Neighbourhoods and Academic Achievement across Countries," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 91(1), pages 476-518.
    2. Loss, Georg & Naicker, Sara & Richter, Linda & Fink, Günther, 2024. "Early life determinants of social disparities among young adults: A longitudinal study in vulnerable communities in South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    3. Dylan S Connor & Aleksander K BergArizona & Tom Kemeny & Peter J Kedron, 2024. "Who gets left behind by left behind places?," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 17(1), pages 37-58.
    4. Berger, Thor & Engzell, Per & Eriksson, Björn & Molinder, Jakob, 2023. "Social Mobility in Sweden before the Welfare State," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 83(2), pages 431-463, June.
    5. Fletcher, Jason & Jajtner, Katie M., 2023. "Multidimensional intergenerational mobility," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).
    6. Dylan Shane Connor & Tom Kemeny & Michael Storper, 2024. "Frontier workers and the seedbeds of inequality and prosperity," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 24(3), pages 393-414.
    7. Handy, Christopher & Shester, Katharine L., 2022. "Local changes in intergenerational mobility," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    8. Bartels, Charlotte & König, Johannes & Schröder, Carsten, 2021. "Born in the land of milk and honey: The impact of economic growth on individual wealth accumulation," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242398, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    9. Li, Wen-Jing & Chen, Zhi & Jin, Ke-Zhong & Li, Lan & Yuan, Lin & Jiang, Luo-Luo & Perc, Matjaž & Kurths, Jürgen, 2022. "Eliminating poverty through social mobility promotes cooperation in social dilemmas," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    10. Naudé, Wim, 2023. "We Already Live in a Degrowth World, and We Do Not like It," IZA Discussion Papers 16191, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Connor Sheehan & Anna Zajacova & Dylan Connor & Jennifer Karas Montez, 2022. "State-Level Variation in the Association Between Educational Attainment and Sleep," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(3), pages 1137-1160, June.
    12. Jackson, Pamela & Spector, Antoinette L. & Strath, Larissa J. & Antoine, Lisa H. & Li, Peng & Goodin, Burel R. & Hidalgo, Bertha A. & Kempf, Mirjam-Colette & Gonzalez, Cesar E. & Jones, Alana C. & Fos, 2023. "Epigenetic age acceleration mediates the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and pain severity in adults with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis pain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    intergenerational mobility; geography; inequality; race; economic history;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N0 - Economic History - - General

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