Report: SE Minnesota one of the best places in the U.S. for poor children
(THE MED CITY BEAT) - A new study by a pair of Harvard economists finds that Olmsted County is "very good" for economic mobility for children who come from poor families.
The county-by-county analysis was published Monday in The Upshot, a news analysis blog from the New York Times. The report compares the household income of an individual at age 26 with the average childhood in an American county.
Olmsted County scored better than 85 percent of counties in the U.S. (that number is impressively high compared to similar-size metros). Wabasha County and Le Sueur County had the best rankings in southeast Minnesota, each outperforming 97 percent of the country.
Here's a look at the income change for children of various economic backgrounds in Olmsted County:
Graphics: NY Times
The Upper Midwest — particularly Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin — fared relatively well in the study. The factors associated with strong upward mobility include less segregation and lower rates of violent crime.
Click here to view the full report.
Featured content:
(Cover photo: File / Donnie Ray Jones / Creative Commons)
