About a third of North Carolina children from low-income families — who make less than $25,000 annually — are able to climb up the economic ladder as they grow up, according to a report released by Durham-based nonprofit Manpower Development Corp.
“The idea is that where you are born in terms of your income should not be where you end up,” said Dan Broun, MDC’s senior program director.
No part of the state meets the national average of economic mobility, measured by a movement from the lowest income levels to the middle and upper income levels.
Lucy Gorham, executive director of the UNC Center for Community Capital, said the report's findings reflect the state’s history of racial segregation and, more generally, the history of the South.
According to another report released by MDC called the 2014 State of the South, it is harder to rise above family income levels in the South than any other region in the country.
She said a long history of segregation created a feedback loop — a lack of skilled workforce doesn’t attract high-wage industries, and a lack of high-paying jobs makes it hard for families to invest in their children’s education.
The problem is worse in the most economically dynamic places like Charlotte and the Research Triangle.
While a United Nations report predicted Raleigh and Charlotte will grow by 70 percent by 2030, the census data compiled by the Brookings Institution indicated that the poor population nearly doubled from 2000 to 2012 in both cities.
“We have an economy right now in this region geared towards people at the top, but, you know, I guess I would say, how sustainable is that?” Broun said.
