What Is Happening to America’s Children? A Look At The Widening Opportunity Gap for Today’s Youth

October 7, 2011 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone • Employment & Wages

The upbringing and resources available to children can have long-term effects on their earnings and quality of live. Mounting evidence suggests our parents’ education levels and employment opportunities have implications that extend far into adulthood.  New Hamilton Project analysis focuses on the family earnings devoted to the typical American child and how those earnings have evolved over the past 35 years.  A key finding is the growing opportunity gap between children who are better off and those who are worse off, which could have significant implications for their future quality of life.  Children at the 90th percentile of the distribution of family earnings have parental earnings 45 percent higher than 35 years ago. At the same time, children at the 25th percentile of the distribution have seen real declines in family earnings of over 20 percent.

 Read More