factual

Absolute Mobility Fell From 90% to ~50%

Using a baseline of the standard CPI and total household income, the fraction of kids who out-earn their parents fell from about 90% for those born in the 1940s-50s to about 50% for the current generation—meaning roughly half now do worse than their parents—a decline summarized as the 'Fading American Dream.'

factualpending

Speaker

Raj Chetty

Evidence Quote

back for kids born in the middle of the last century--1940s, 1950s--something like 90% of kids ended up doing better than their parents. If you take the baseline measures, that number looks like 50% for the current generation.

Source

Raj Chetty on Economic MobilityEconTalk
Created: 6/13/2026, 3:35:10 AM

My Notes

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