There's a takeaway from a new study which breaks down income mobility in cities across the United States: Go West, everyone. The study is based on a collection of several anonymous earnings records, and stands out because it's the very first to compare upward mobility in the U.S. This is important because it considers factors like education, family structure, birthplace and economics when examining a child's chances of beating the odds and climbing to another income level.
According to the study, the Southeast and parts of the Midwest have a tougher uphill battle. Basically, you can grow up poor and still make it, but, as Harvard University economist and study co-author Nathaniel Hedren says, it's "where you grow up" that matters.
[via New York Times]
