Economic Mobility in America: Is the American Dream Alive and Well?
For more than two centuries, economic opportunity and the prospect of upward mobility have formed the bedrock upon which the American story has been anchored - inspiring people in distant lands to seek our shores and sustaining the unwavering optimism of Americans at home. From the hopes of the earliest settlers to the aspirations of today's diverse population, the American Dream unites us in a common quest for individual and national success. But new data suggest that this once solid ground may well be shifting. This raises provocative questions about the continuing ability of all Americans to move up the economic ladder and calls into question whether the American economic meritocracy is still alive and well.
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(FEBRUARY 2008)
- Figure 1: Perceptions of Mobility and Inequality in 27 Countries
- Figure 2: Growth in After-Tax Income for the Top 1% Has Far Outpaced Growth for Others, 1979-2004
- Figure 3: The U.S. Has Less Relative Mobility Than Many Industrialized Nations
- Figure 4: Today, Men in Their Thirties Have Less Personal Income Than Men in Their Fathers' Generation (Men Aged 30-39)
- Figure 5: Family Income For Men in Their Thirties Is Greater Today Than In Their Fathers' Generation
- Figure 6: Productivity and Median Income Growth 1947-2005
- Figures 7-9: Productivity and Real Median Income Growth 1947-1974, 1974-2005, and 2000-2005
