Document Type

Report

Publication Date

7-2019

Publisher

Brookings Mountain West

First page number:

1

Last page number:

20

Abstract

A stronger middle class is important for the economic and political future of both cities and nations. Analyses focusing on the size of the middle class can be misleading, providing information on income inequality or temporary economic conditions. More important than the size of the middle class is the quality of life of the middle class. Higher education can serve students from middle-class backgrounds, helping them sustain a middle-class standard of living and rise up the economic ladder, as well as providing “on ramps” to the middle class for those from low-income backgrounds. We show that middle class wage earners bore the brunt of the Great Recession in Las Vegas. Using a new metric of mobility based on data from Opportunity Insights (formerly the Equality of Opportunity Project), we also examine the contribution of colleges in the Mountain West to serving and strengthening the middle class.

Keywords

Mountain West; Middle Class; Colleges; Las Vegas; Income; Mobility; Income inequality; Social mobility

Disciplines

Economics | Higher Education | Income Distribution | Public Affairs

File Format

pdf

File Size

1.179 Kb

Language

English

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