Momentum is building to address metro Atlanta’s dismal ranking of 50th out of 50 cities when it comes to economic mobility. On Jan. 13, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation invited Harvard Professor Raj Chetty to come to Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium to talk about his research on economic mobility, with a focus on the […]
Tag: Economic Mobility
Posted inLatest News
Raj Chetty to Atlanta: connect people to opportunity to improve economic mobility
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation invited Harvard University researcher Raj Chetty, a guru of economic mobility, to Atlanta on Jan. 13 to share his insights on why Atlanta ranked dead last among the major cities in the United States. The Blank Foundation convened an influential group of business and civic leaders, government and nonprofit […]
Posted inAtlanta Way 2.0
Shopping small, building big: How the Atlanta Beltline supports economic mobility
On Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, the Atlanta Beltline invites everyone to celebrate Small Business Saturday, founded by American Express, at the Atlanta Beltline Marketplace locations and support an ecosystem of programs designed to advance economic mobility through community collaboration. Small Business Saturday, the national movement encouraging people to “shop small,” takes on special meaning along […]
Posted inColumns
What metro Atlanta can learn from Charlotte’s economic mobility story
Charlotte, N.C. — More than 100 people from around the country gathered in Charlotte on Oct. 7 to learn how they can improve economic mobility in their communities. Charlotte has emerged as a national model for tackling economic mobility issues, given its success as seen through the research of Harvard University’s Raj Chetty, founder of […]
Posted inAtlanta Way 2.0
What’s the deal with economic mobility? And why does Atlanta rank last?
By Oli Turner, Atlanta Way 2.0 Journalism Fellow In Atlanta, leaders and concerned citizens are uniting over a troubling statistic. Atlanta ranks 50th out of 50 U.S. metropolitan areas in upward economic mobility, according to a 2024 study by Harvard Economics professor Raj Chetty. If that strikes you as grim, it is—but Atlantans may find […]
Posted inColumns
Metro Atlanta is dead last when it comes to economic mobility
Atlanta ranks 50th out of the top 50 metro areas when it comes to upward economic mobility. That’s according to Harvard University’s Raj Chetty and his research group Opportunity Insights, which published an updated economic mobility study in 2024. The initial economic mobility study came out in 2014. At the time, Atlanta’s rank was 49th, […]
Posted inLatest News
Beloved Benefit raises $6.3 million for local nonprofits
By Maria Saporta After a two-year hiatus, the 2022 Beloved Benefit filled the field of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with more than 2,000 attendees representing all sides of Atlanta. The July 7 dinner, hosted and presented by Atlanta philanthropists Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and Dan Cathy, chairman of Chick-fil-A, has raised a total of […]
Posted inColumns, Maria's Metro
Beloved Benefit shines light on one of metro Atlanta’s top challenges
We must galvanize to improve economic mobility in our region By Maria Saporta It’s a common theme. Atlanta has the worst income inequality in the country, and it has one of the lowest economic mobility numbers in the country. At the Beloved Benefit dinner on July 7, there was a newspaper journal at everyone’s seat […]
Posted inLatest News
AT&T to donate $500,000 for economic empowerment in Atlanta
AT&T will invest $500,000 in four Atlanta nonprofits in an effort to empower the traditionally underserved and drive economic mobility in Atlanta.
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta’s urban renewal, economic mobility programs to face more oversight
The Atlanta City Council is poised to secure greater control over the city’s largest and most successful urban renewal program, in addition to the city’s sweeping programs that aim to promote economic mobility and equity for city residents.
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Free Arts Education Helps Metro Atlanta Kids Succeed in School and in Life
By Ariel Fristoe, Co-Artistic Director, Out of Hand Theater Every child should have the opportunity to succeed, but if you’re born in Metro Atlanta, your chances of escaping from poverty are not good; in fact, they’re close to the worst in the nation. This fall, at Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute, I learned that […]
