Part 1: Life Experiences that Power Economic Mobility
Executive Summary
Economic mobility in the United States has been stunted by wealth and wage inequalities and structural barriers that limit access to opportunity for millions of Americans.
Promoting economic mobility for all is not only critical to protecting the lives and livelihoods of Americans but also to supporting economic growth and maintaining democratic stability. This report offers insights into 28 “mobility experiences” in one’s life that have significant impact on lifetime income—and as a result—economic mobility. These experiences can occur throughout a person’s lifetime and span six thematic areas that have significant influence on intragenerational mobility, as outlined below:
Career Progression
Avoiding involuntary unemployment
Obtaining a first full-time job that offers an opportunity for advancement
Receiving job or skills training
Community Interactions
Accessing stable, affordable housing
Avoiding interactions with the criminal justice system
Living in a high mobility neighborhood
Having reliable and affordable access to physical and digital infrastructure
(including transit and internet)
Education
Accessing extracurriculars during adolescence (including sports, clubs, work)
Accessing pre-K and other early childhood development opportunities
Avoiding repeated school disciplinary actions
Completing high school education
Graduating with a degree in a high-paying field of study
Pursuing/completing postsecondary education
Financial Well-being
Accessing non-wage employment-based benefits (including healthcare, retirement)
Accessing public benefits and programs
Experiencing financial inclusion (including financial education and access)
Having manageable student debt
Owning a business
Physical and Mental Health
Accessing care for mental and physical health conditions
Accessing pre-and post-natal care
Being born with a healthy birth weight
Having access to adequate nutrition and a balanced diet in childhood
Having low exposure to traumatic experiences (including ACEs)
Social and Familial Relationships
Having strong social and professional networks
Living with a working adult partner (including cohabitation, marriage)
Not having to provide unpaid care for adult family members
Not having to provide unpaid care for children
Receiving mentorship during adolescence
Three experiences in particular had the strongest evidence of high potential for impact on lifetime income.
These include:
Pursuing or completing a postsecondary education;
Graduating with a degree in a high-paying field of study; and
Obtaining a first full-time job that offers an opportunity for advancement.
These results provide valuable insights into how stakeholders can prioritize opportunities to influence economic mobility for people across the United States.
Structural factors are a critical component of who has access to these key mobility experiences. This report also explores the ways in which structural racism and socioeconomic and gender inequities impact economic mobility and drive deepened income and wealth inequalities in the United States.
As the first installment in the three-part series, this report aims to:
Align stakeholders around a comprehensive inventory of life experiences that matter for improving economic mobility outcomes, and
Provide a robust quantified assessment of the impact of different life experiences on income.
This knowledge can inform efforts to shift harmful narratives around poverty and support the mobilization of coordinated capital to increase access to and navigation of life experiences that advance economic mobility across the country.
Part 1: Research Webinar
Conversation and Q&A with Camber Collective's Shared Prosperity team on exciting new research into the life experiences that have the greatest impact on Americans’ economic mobility
Stay up to date
on our research
This is the first installment in a three-part series. Stay tuned for report two, releasing June 2024.
Part 2: the perceptions of 4,000 Americans, particularly those who earn within low- and middle-income brackets, as to the importance of each of these 28 life experiences.
Part 3: the flow of investment of public and philanthropic dollars into these life experiences, and the common features of successful programs that enable greater economic mobility.
Full research website coming soon!