Little has caused more angst in Charlotte in the past decade than a 2014 report suggesting it was the least-effective major U.S. city in enabling poor families to climb the economic ladder.
But a study released today by the Harvard University affiliate that studies that issue said that Charlotte has moved up to No. 38 among the 50 cities examined by Professor Raj Chetty.
The new report also shows Charlotte was ranked No. 3 out of 50 on economic mobility progress, while Mecklenburg is the only U.S. county where low-income white children did not experience a decline in economic mobility.
Raleigh ranked No. 48 in the 2014 study, and is now 41. The state capital is No. 14 on the most improved list.
The initial Chetty study embarrassed Charlotte leaders, sparking a variety of responses to help low-income and diverse residents join in the overall economic prosperity of North Carolina’s largest city. Critics questioned the study’s validity, noting that Charlotte’s above-average economic growth in recent decades has provided more economic opportunity than many peer cities.
Still, many efforts have resulted from the city leaders’ commitment for change. They include:
- The Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, which includes funding for Johnson C. Smith University aimed at helping it become a top-tier HBCU.
- The Charlotte Executive Leadership Council’s Leaders on Loan program with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has placed more executives at more than 30 companies and organizations in local public schools.
- Increasing the Housing Trust Fund from $15M to $50M, with another proposed increase to $100M on the table.
- Mecklenburg County’s $60M commitment to create Universal Pre-K for 4-year-olds.
“We are in the early innings and we have a long way to go. We need to stay the course,” says Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who in 2021 launched the Initiative.
In 2017, officials formed Leading on Opportunity, which advocates and tracks progress on economic mobility issues. “Charlotte is a city that in many ways has and continues to be ahead in our approach to community progress,” says Sherri Chisholm, the group’s executive director. “We refused to accept our low ranking, and made a commitment to improve lives in Charlotte.”
