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Pew’s Economic Mobility Project focuses public attention on the ability to move up or down the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next. By forging broad, nonpartisan agreement on the facts and drivers of mobility, the project fosters policy debate and action on how best to improve economic opportunity and ensure that the American Dream is kept alive for future generations.
Why Economic Mobility Matters
For more than two centuries, economic opportunity and upward mobility have formed the foundation of the American Dream, and they remain at the core of our nation's identity. As policy makers seek to foster equality of opportunity, it’s critical that their decisions be informed by a robust and nonpartisan fact base on economic mobility.
Factors that Help or Hinder Economic Mobility
Economic mobility is influenced by a variety of factors including education, neighborhoods, savings, and family structure. Pew also strives to understand differences in mobility by income, race, and gender.
How We Conduct Our Work
Pew conducts research on economic mobility to inform policy makers and the public debate. We look at questions such as: How do children's opportunities to achieve the American Dream compare to those of their parents? To what extent is mobility affected by wealth, gender, race, and education? How do people’s mobility prospects differ depending on where they live?
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The LATEST from the Project
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- Media Coverage
- Economic Mobility Project
Deseret News: Economic Mobility Gains May be Due to Dual-income Families
If parents are happier when their children do better (financially), then there should be a lot of happy parents in the United States. But more American families reach that status today through dual incomes, according to a new report released Tuesday. more
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- Interactive
- Economic Mobility Project
Income and Wealth in America Across Generations
This interactive data tool takes a closer look at absolute mobility, making it possible to determine which Americans are more likely to surpass or fall short of their parents' income and wealth, and for the first time, by how much. more
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- Media Coverage
- Economic Mobility Project
Washington Post: Obama’s Call to Action on Poverty
Some anti-child-poverty advocates are disappointed that President Obama didn’t call for a National Commission on Children as they’d hoped. more
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- Press Release
- Economic Mobility Project,
- Election Initiatives
Pew Experts Respond to President's State of the Union Address
In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama raised two issues that are relevant to the work of The Pew Charitable Trusts: economic mobility and elections.
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February 13, 2013
Economic Mobility: Reaction to the State of the Union & GOP Response
Economic mobility is a unifying and bipartisan idea discussed by both President Obama in his State of the Union address and Senator Marco Rubio in the GOP response. Erin Currier discusses drivers, such as education, savings, and neighborhood poverty, that impact people's ability to achieve the American Dream. more
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- Media Coverage
- Economic Mobility Project
Reading Eagle: Report Shows College Education Still Pays Dividends
It seems just about everyone has heard about the plight of recent college graduates who are saddled with heavy debt, unable to find jobs in their chosen fields and stuck living at home with little to do except perhaps some low-paying work. more
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- Media Coverage
- Economic Mobility Project
Seattle Weekly: Don't Brood: It Still Pays to Go to College
The recession and high national unemployment rates make life after college look worse than college itself, often leaving new graduates overqualified and underemployed. more
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- Report
- Economic Mobility Project
How Much Protection Does a College Degree Afford?
This report provides an in-depth look at young college graduates’ employment opportunities as compared to less-educated groups. more
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- Press Release
- Economic Mobility Project
Pew Report Finds Recent College Graduates Well-Protected Against Worst Effects of Recession
The newest research from Pew’s Economic Mobility Project reveals that a four-year college degree helped shield the latest graduates from a range of poor employment outcomes during the Great Recession, including unemployment, low-skill jobs, and lesser wages. more
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- Media Coverage
- Economic Mobility Project
Examine Inequality’s Causes Before Prescribing Solutions
Fear and loathing of income inequality is both totally understandable and ultimately misplaced. A June study from Pew’s Economic Mobility Project finds that 84 percent of Americans have “higher family incomes than their parents did.” more
