Small Towns in the US Are Better for Upward Mobility, Study Finds
Low-income kids are less likely to climb the wealth ladder if they grow up in a big US city, according to new research. But they might still work there when they grow up.
Dubuque, Iowa, is the kind of small city where low-income kids can climb the wealth ladder — not too big but not too rural, either.
Photographer: John Elk/The Image Bank RFBig US cities have become worse places for low-income kids to move up the wealth ladder over the last half century, according to a new study that looks at both satellite imagery and demographic data.
Large metropolises have long been heralded for boosting the economy and fostering wealth. In the past, they were also great at lifting up children from poorer backgrounds. But the new study from PNAS Nexus found that when cities got bigger and more densely populated, they also became less conducive to the American Dream.