Upward Mobility Has Not Declined, Study Says - NYTimes.com: As part of the same project, some of the same researchers released a study last summer showing that the odds of escaping poverty in some parts of the United States were much higher than in others.
In the most mobile metropolitan areas, such as Salt Lake City and San Francisco, mobility rates are similar to those in western Europe. In the least mobile areas, including Atlanta, Charlotte and much of the industrial Midwest, the odds are much lower.
The variation, Mr. Saez said, offers hope that researchers will be able to learn more about the factors that contribute to upward mobility.