Socioeconomic Mobility2017
Absolute income mobility fell from 90% (born 1940) to 50% (born 1980) (Chetty et al., Science)
Children born in 1940 had a 90% chance of earning more than their parents at the same age; for children born in 1980, that probability had fallen to 50%, driven primarily by rising income inequality rather than slower GDP growth.
Primary source
Chetty et al., Science 356(6336) / Opportunity Insights
https://opportunityinsights.org/paper/abs_mobility/Published 2017 — compiled by JobCannon Research.
Why this stat matters
This figure belongs to the socioeconomic mobilityvertical of JobCannon's ongoing review of hiring, AI, and career-outcome research. We track it because it is one of the few primary-source estimates with a published sample, methodology, or legal record. Cite the original source first; this page exists to make the figure easy to find and link to.
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