The Best and Worst Places to Grow Up: How Your Area Compares

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BornAPoorBlkChild: Sep 24, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/03/upshot/the-best-and-worst-places-to-grow-up-how-your-area-compares.html

quote:

Fulton County is very bad for income mobility for children in poor families. It is better than only about 6 percent of counties.
Location matters � enormously. If you�re poor and live in the Atlanta area, it�s better to be in Fayette County than in Fulton County or Morgan County. Not only that, the younger you are when you move to Fayette, the better you will do on average. Children who move at earlier ages are less likely to become single parents, more likely to go to college and more likely to earn more.

Every year a poor child spends in Fayette County adds about $140 to his or her annual household income at age 26, compared with a childhood spent in the average American county. Over the course of a full childhood, which is up to age 20 for the purposes of this analysis, the difference adds up to about $2,800, or 11 percent, more in average income as a young adult.

These findings, particularly those that show how much each additional year matters, are from a new study by Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren that has huge consequences on how we think about poverty and mobility in the United States. The pair, economists at Harvard, have long been known for their work on income mobility, but the latest findings go further. Now, the researchers are no longer confined to talking about which counties merely correlate well with income mobility; new data suggests some places actually cause it.

Consider Fulton County, Ga., our best guess for where you might be reading this article. (Feel free to change to another place by selecting a new county on the map or using the search boxes throughout this page.)

It�s among the worst counties in the U.S. in helping poor children up the income ladder. It ranks 142nd out of 2,478 counties, better than only about 6 percent of counties. Although bad for poor children, it is somewhat better for higher-income children.

Here are the estimates for how much 20 years of childhood in Fulton County adds or takes away from a child�s income (compared with an average county), along with the national percentile ranking for each.

What a Childhood in Fulton County Does to Future Income

Across the country, the researchers found five factors associated with strong upward mobility: less segregation by income and race, lower levels of income inequality, better schools, lower rates of violent crime, and a larger share of two-parent households. In general, the effects of place are sharper for boys than for girls, and for lower-income children than for rich.

�The broader lesson of our analysis,� Mr. Chetty and Mr. Hendren write, �is that social mobility should be tackled at a local level.� Here�s where Fulton County stands among its neighbors.

In some places, the new estimates of mobility conflict with earlier estimates. For example, previous estimates suggested that New York City was a good place for lower-income children to grow up: Children raised in lower-income families in New York had above-average outcomes in adulthood.

But New York appeared above average in part because it has a large number of immigrants, who have good rates of upward mobility no matter where they live: Nothing about New York in particular caused these children to do better.

To remove variation that was simply caused by different types of people living in different areas, Mr. Chetty and Mr. Hendren based the latest estimates on the incomes of more than five million children who moved between areas when they were growing up in the 1980s and 1990s. These estimates are causal: They suggest moving a given child to a new area would in fact cause him or her to do better or worse.

In the new estimates, Manhattan ranks among the worst counties in the country for girls from lower-income families.

Here, better or worse is measured by the household incomes of children in early adulthood. This makes New York look worse than it would if individual incomes were used, because it, along with Northern California, has some of the lowest marriage rates in the country. Manhattan is actually better than most of the country at raising the individual incomes of poor girls. Marriage rates, too, are strongly affected by where children grow up.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:15

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# ? May 26, 2024 15:11

Toadvine: Mar 16, 2009; Please disregard my advice w/r/t history.

I grew up in Ohio and thought it was boring up through high school. After moving to a big city and seeing what kind of aberrations you get when you raise a child in an urban landscape though, I'm thankful for the childhood I was given.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:21

Kuato: Feb 25, 2005; "I CAN'T BELIEVE I ATE THE WHOLE THING"; Buglord

Thanks for the link, OP. I'll check it out later when/if I take a poo poo.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:26

G-III: Mar 4, 2001

When I was young I lived in Fresno, CA... TWICE

http://nyti.ms/1GKqs2I

quote:

Fresno County is extremely bad for income mobility for children in poor families. It is among the worst counties in the U.S.

Location matters � enormously. If you�re poor and live in the Fresno area, it�s better to be in Madera County than in Tulare County or Fresno County. Not only that, the younger you are when you move to Madera, the better you will do on average. Children who move at earlier ages are less likely to become single parents, more likely to go to college and more likely to earn more.

But even Madera County is below the national average. Every year a poor child spends in Madera County subtracts about $10 from his or her annual household income at age 26, compared with a childhood spent in the average American county. Over the course of a full childhood, which is up to age 20 for the purposes of this analysis, the difference adds up to about $300, or 1 percent, less in average income as a young adult.

These findings, particularly those that show how much each additional year matters, are from a new study by Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren that has huge consequences on how we think about poverty and mobility in the United States. The pair, economists at Harvard, have long been known for their work on income mobility, but the latest findings go further. Now, the researchers are no longer confined to talking about which counties merely correlate well with income mobility; new data suggests some places actually cause it.

Consider Fresno County, Calif., the focus of this article. (Feel free to change to another place by selecting a new county on the map or using the search boxes throughout this page.)

It�s among the worst counties in the U.S. in helping poor children up the income ladder. It ranks 97th out of 2,478 counties, better than only about 4 percent of counties. It is relatively worse for poor boys than it is for poor girls.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:29

Edgar: Sep 9, 2005; Oh my heck!
Oh heavens!
Oh my lord!
OH Sweet meats!; Wedge Regret

quote:

Utah County is very good for income mobility for children in poor families. It is better than about 91 percent of counties.

Looks like my future poor children will have it easy.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:31

Ergo Propter Hog: Jul 21, 2014

Greenville County is extremely bad for income mobility for children in poor families. It is among the worst counties in the U.S.

Sounds about right.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:36

a bone to pick: Sep 14, 2011; by FactsAreUseless

lol Baltimore is such a poo poo hole.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:44

Good soup!: Nov 2, 2010

quote:

Harris County is pretty bad for income mobility for children in poor families. It is better than about 34 percent of counties.

And where my hometown is:

quote:

Burlington County is pretty bad for income mobility for children in poor families. It is better than about 36 percent of counties.

I grew up near loving Camden so that's not surprising.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:49

binge crotching: Apr 2, 2010

An article says that growing up in a shithole means you're more likely to be poor when you're older. What a loving revelation, no one could have predicted that.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:49

KiteAuraan: Aug 5, 2014; JER GEDDA FERDA RADDA ARA!

quote:

Location matters � enormously. If you�re poor and live in the Phoenix area, it�s better to be in Maricopa County than in Gila County or Pinal County. Not only that, the younger you are when you move to Maricopa, the better you will do on average. Children who move at earlier ages are less likely to become single parents, more likely to go to college and more likely to earn more.

Every year a poor child spends in Maricopa County adds about $30 to his or her annual household income at age 26, compared with a childhood spent in the average American county. Over the course of a full childhood, which is up to age 20 for the purposes of this analysis, the difference adds up to about $700, or 3 percent, more in average income as a young adult.

These findings, particularly those that show how much each additional year matters, are from a new study by Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren that has huge consequences on how we think about poverty and mobility in the United States. The pair, economists at Harvard, have long been known for their work on income mobility, but the latest findings go further. Now, the researchers are no longer confined to talking about which counties merely correlate well with income mobility; new data suggests some places actually cause it.

Consider Maricopa County, Ariz., our best guess for where you might be reading this article. (Feel free to change to another place by selecting a new county on the map or using the search boxes throughout this page.)

It�s about average in helping poor children up the income ladder. It ranks 1,188th out of 2,478 counties, better than about 48 percent of counties. It is relatively worse for poor boys than it is for poor girls.

Here are the estimates for how much 20 years of childhood in Maricopa County adds or takes away from a child�s income (compared with an average county), along with the national percentile ranking for each.

Maricopa County: Slightly Above Average. :smug:

Editor's Note: I cannot get a job in my field at all, and the only places that have even given me interviews are all minimum wage service jobs. I make well below the median income nationally.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 15:53

Neutrino: Mar 8, 2006; Fallen Rib

My small town of Jeradia is really crappy for opportunities for the young folk. For example, there are no spawn points for Pokeman Go so young children cannot experience this game at all.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 16:08

G-III: Mar 4, 2001

KiteAuraan posted:

Maricopa County: Slightly Above Average.

Editor's Note: I cannot get a job in my field at all, and the only places that have even given me interviews are all minimum wage service jobs. I make well below the median income nationally.

As someone who left Maricopa county in 2007 for greener pastures in King County, WA I can definitely say this: if you're below the age of 40 and just getting started out in your career there is nothing for you in Maricopa County. The Phoenix Metro area is a dead zone for opportunity for young people. Move out to a real city, get a real job, and then you can come back and get your McMansion for cheap.

# ? Oct 6, 2016 17:03

504: Feb 2, 2016; by R. Guyovich

Aatreks house.

# ? Oct 7, 2016 01:34

Doghouse: Oct 22, 2004; I was playing Harvest Moon 64 with this kid who lived on my street and my cows were not doing well and I got so raged up and frustrated that my eyes welled up with tears and my friend was like are you crying dude. Are you crying because of the cows. I didn't understand the feeding mechanic.

Whoa an article ..? On the internet? Holy shizzle

# ? Oct 7, 2016 01:58

Gaunab: Feb 13, 2012; LUFTHANSA YOU FUCKING DICKWEASEL

I'm guessing most places are basically hosed.

# ? Oct 7, 2016 02:19

Falun Bong Refugee: Dec 14, 2015; by FactsAreUseless

I'm not yet 30 and I've lived in 20 different cities. San Diego has the best weather on the planet. Kaosiung, Taiwan is a close second. They might have the best fruit on the planet,

# ? Oct 7, 2016 02:21

thathonkey: Jul 17, 2012

oh cool the county i grew up and still live in

i knew some greater force than my own incredible gently caress-ups and laziness was holding me down

# ? Oct 7, 2016 02:35

KiteAuraan: Aug 5, 2014; JER GEDDA FERDA RADDA ARA!

G-III posted:

As someone who left Maricopa county in 2007 for greener pastures in King County, WA I can definitely say this: if you're below the age of 40 and just getting started out in your career there is nothing for you in Maricopa County. The Phoenix Metro area is a dead zone for opportunity for young people. Move out to a real city, get a real job, and then you can come back and get your McMansion for cheap.

My degree is in anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology. Phoenix is one of the better places for my stupid, stupid career choice. Other good places include: Albuquerque, Tucson, El Paso/Las Cruces, Southern Colorado and Utah. I hosed up.

KiteAuraan fucked around with this message at 07:05 on Oct 7, 2016

# ? Oct 7, 2016 07:03

lonesomedwarf: Mar 22, 2010

asd a child i was psychically and mentally and physically abused i am left as a hollow shell of a human being with no positive emotions and a crippled deformed body that is only fit to be pissed on. i have anhedonia and suicidal ideatrions im below average intelligence and have a micropenis

edit hi how are you i hope you are well. i am fine

# ? Oct 7, 2016 07:59

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

i grew up partially in essex county and somerset county, both in NJ. essex has newark and towns that have ludicrously high income inequality so that probably brought it down. somerset county is new growth as hell so there aren't many of those towns there

bergen county is the most upwardly mobile but that's also where the worst people in NJ live, plus it has blue laws where you can't buy anything on sunday. also i think chris christie is from there. gently caress that place

# ? Oct 7, 2016 08:32

Iron Prince: Aug 28, 2005; Buglord

it says my county is second best in the suburb I live in and the suburb i live in is wholly contained within one county

# ? Oct 7, 2016 08:39

thathonkey: Jul 17, 2012

luv 2 date boys posted:

it says my county is second best in the suburb I live in and the suburb i live in is wholly contained within one county

lol

# ? Oct 7, 2016 10:54

Yorkshire Pudding: Nov 24, 2006

I lived adjacent to the county with the highest meth use in America.

Thank God, I don't know how I would have paid for college otherwise.

# ? Oct 7, 2016 12:58

R-Type: Oct 10, 2005; by FactsAreUseless

In my state counties that have cities where the county itself (or a combination of both) that have been run by democrats/liberals for 5+ years are in the negatives whereas counties/cities that ran by republicans are running positive.

Pure coincidence, nothing to see here.

# ? Oct 7, 2016 15:52

The Whole Internet: May 26, 2010; by FactsAreUseless

lol North Carolina is uniformly terrible for income mobility.

# ? Oct 8, 2016 01:45

Falun Bong Refugee: Dec 14, 2015; by FactsAreUseless

I grew up on the grounds of a minimum security federal prison camp. Government parents. Inmates did the goundskeeping.They were very nice. They kept our park spotless and we had those bomb rear end swings with 12 foot chains.

# ? Oct 8, 2016 01:59

Dreddout: Oct 1, 2015; You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.

lonesomedwarf posted:

edit hi how are you i hope you are well. i am fine

Sup man! You on Grindr? We should totally meet up!

# ? Oct 8, 2016 02:07

Heer98: Apr 10, 2009

Yeah, NJ counties are weird. You have the super wealthy stockbrokers and insurance people living in some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the country sharing counties with such locales as Trenton and Newark.

# ? Oct 8, 2016 02:07

med school head: Apr 17, 2012

The Whole Internet posted:

lol North Carolina is uniformly terrible for income mobility.

lol yeah growing up in durham i figured as much

# ? Oct 8, 2016 02:23

Verily I Shat: May 24, 2015; by Smythe

USA - Trump is a choice for President

# ? Oct 8, 2016 02:25

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

TsarZiedonis posted:

Yeah, NJ counties are weird. You have the super wealthy stockbrokers and insurance people living in some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the country sharing counties with such locales as Trenton and Newark.

there are a few towns where there's both a wealthy area and a poorer area, like West Orange

# ? Oct 8, 2016 04:06

naem: May 29, 2011

What if there were people somewhere in the "middle" of the rich and very poor. Sort of a "middle class" of people..

# ? Oct 8, 2016 04:11

Sweaty IT Nerd: Jul 13, 2007

naem posted:

What if there were people somewhere in the "middle" of the rich and very poor. Sort of a "middle class" of people..

What from like the 60s? Those people would b very old.

# ? Oct 8, 2016 04:12

EorayMel: May 30, 2015; WE GET IT. YOU LOVE GUN JESUS. Toujours des fusils Bullpup Fran�ais.

Cuyahoga County is pretty bad for income mobility for children in poor families. It is better than about 26 percent of counties.

Apparently it is #1 for richest boys in the Cleveland Area...?

# ? Oct 8, 2016 04:14

naem: May 29, 2011

EorayMel posted:

Cuyahoga County is pretty bad for income mobility for children in poor families. It is better than about 26 percent of counties.

Apparently it is #1 for richest boys in the Cleveland Area...?

Cleveland and Detroit have a small core of very rich who've been squatting there morbidly for generations

# ? Oct 8, 2016 04:23