Economic mobility professor praises Charlotte's efforts

Raj Chetty, whose research spurred Charlotte to action, tells local audience he sees progress

The following article appeared in the November 15, 2023, edition of The Charlotte Ledger.

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Harvard economist who ranked Charlotte last in economic mobility says unified focus ‘can really move the needle’

by Tony Mecia

Raj Chetty, the Harvard economist whose research declared Charlotte to be abysmal in economic mobility a decade ago, told a Charlotte audience Tuesday that he’s encouraged by the city’s coordinated efforts to improve economic opportunity.

And he teased upcoming research that he said will provide an update to his findings in 2014 that ranked Charlotte 50th out of 50 U.S. cities for economic mobility — and suggested that Charlotte might be faring better today: “I think you all are going to be encouraged by what you see in that new study thanks to your efforts.”