Economic Mobility

More people than ever are voluntarily leaving their jobs. This phenomenon, known as the Great Resignation, is happening in nearly every employment sector and across a broad range of income levels. Fueled by the pandemic, changes in how we work, increasing work demands, other opportunities and more, workers of all types are looking for a […]

Our Charlotte region continues to wrestle with a vexing challenge: How can we improve economic mobility so that all of our community members can share the benefits of growth? It’s a big question, one that touches on everything from the justice system to the transit system, how much we make at our jobs to how […]

Dr. Matthew Metzgar Dr. Mark DeHaven Donna Schultz Guenevere Abernathy This project is part of the third cohort of Gambrell Faculty Fellows. Read about the fellows progam and other projects here. When it comes to the gap in resources between White, Black and Latinx families, wealth is a bigger factor than income. On average, White […]

Dr. Kendra Jason Dr. Tehia Starker Glass Dr. Janaka Bowman Lewis This project is part of the third cohort of Gambrell Faculty Fellows. Read about the fellows progam and other projects here. The COVID-19 pandemic is an earthquake that shook us all — but not everyone has the same foundation to ride out the quake […]

This project is part of the third cohort of Gambrell Faculty Fellows. Read about the fellows progam and other projects here. In an increasingly digital world, the consequences of not having access to the Internet and knowing how to use technology are starker than ever. Jobs, education, medical services and more a re all increasingly […]

This project is part of the third cohort of Gambrell Faculty Fellows. Read about the fellows progam and other projects here. In a fast-growing, automobile-centric city like Charlotte, it’s tough to get around without a car. That’s why Dr. Mona Azarbayjani and Dr. Hamed Tabkhivayghan, professors in the College of Arts + Architecture and William […]

Decades of housing policy, from redlining to legal segregation to “urban renewal,” have left Charlotte a deeply unequal city, contributing to a large racial wealth gap and vastly different rates of homeownership between residents of different races. On Aug. 24, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute researcher Angelique Gaines and assistant director Ely Portillo joined local experts […]

As Charlotte grows rapidly, concerns about gentrification and displacement have become key issues for city government to address. Tracking gentrification and displacement can be challenging, as this process of neighborhood change is slow and takes many forms across space and time. However, when analyzed with viable data sources, areas that are potentially vulnerable to gentrification […]

For decades, the single-family home rental market was a small-scale industry, made up almost entirely of local landlords who rented out a few houses they bought as investment properties, or perhaps inherited, or held on to after relocating. But the years since the Great Recession have witnessed a dramatic shift, as Wall Street-backed rental companies […]

Charlotte’s notorious “50-out-of-50” ranking for economic mobility has many roots, ranging from systemic discrimination to gaps in education, health and jobs training. But one of the most consequential factors for intergenerational economic mobility is likely wealth, and the simple fact is that some families have much more than others. A key component of wealth is […]