Explore how childhood neighborhoods shape adult outcomes across 72,000 US neighborhoods.
In America, we believe anyone can make it. Work hard, play by the rules, and you can climb the economic ladder—no matter where you start.
But what if where you're born matters more than how hard you try?
This map shows economic mobility—how well children from low-income families do as adults. Green areas help kids climb; red areas trap them.
The data tracks 20 million children from birth to age 35.
Surprisingly, the highest mobility is in rural areas of the Great Plains—North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska.
Kids from poor families in these areas reach the 65th percentile on average—well into the middle class.
Major cities show a different story. In parts of Atlanta, Chicago, and Charlotte, kids from poor families stay poor.
Many reach only the 30th percentile—barely above where they started.
The real story is hyperlocal. Within the same city, neighborhoods just miles apart have wildly different outcomes.
A child's future can change dramatically based on which side of a street they grow up on.
Click the toggles above to see how outcomes differ by race and ethnicity.
The same neighborhood can be high-mobility for White children and low-mobility for Black children.
Place matters—but it matters differently depending on who you are.
Scroll down to explore your own neighborhood. See how it compares to the national average.
What opportunities did your childhood zip code provide—or deny?
These patterns aren't destiny. Research shows that moving children to higher-opportunity areas improves their outcomes.
Every year a child spends in a high-mobility neighborhood adds to their lifetime earnings.
The question is: what will we do about it?
Discover the mobility score for any US neighborhood and see how it compares.