The Effects of Growing Up Poor in Greater Boston
analyzed data gathered by The Equal Opportunity Project and found that what county a child grows up in plays a huge role in who succeeds and who doesn’t.
Poor children growing up in Suffolk County are likely to make less money over their lifetimes than other poor children in the U.S., according to an analysis by The New York Times.
The Times analyzed data gathered by The Equality of Opportunity Project and found that what county a child grows up in plays a huge role in how much he or she will earn over a lifetime.
Two Harvard University economists who conducted the study found that there were five factors associated with strong upward mobility: “less segregation by income and race, lower levels of income inequality, better schools, lower rates of violent crime, and a larger share of two-parent households.’’ The study also found that the effects were stronger for boys than girls, and stronger for low-income children than for rich ones.
The statistics have implications for children in poor families in Greater Boston. For instance, it’s better to grow up in Norfolk County than Suffolk County or Essex County. Every year a poor child lives in Norfolk County, his or her annual income at age 26 goes up about $140 compared to the rest of America. Over the course of a full childhood – up to age 20 – the difference adds up to roughly $2,800, or 11 percent, more in average income as a young adult.
View the Times interactive map to see how your county stacks up here.
Findings from the counties surrounding Greater Boston:
If a poor child grows up here, by age 26 he or she will make $2,820, or 11 percent, more than a child growing up in the average American county.
If a poor child grows up here, by age 26 he or she will make $1,700, or 7 percent, more than a child growing up in the average American county.
If a poor child grows up here, by age 26 he or she will make $840, or 3 percent, less than a child growing up in the average American county.
If a poor child grows up here, by age 26 he or she will make $540, or 2 percent, more than a child growing up in the average American county.
If a poor child grows up here, by age 26 he or she will make $380, or 1 percent, less than a child growing up in the average American county.
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