How income has changed generationally for Fort Worth and Dallas residents
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Fort Worth residents born to low-income families are faring worse than the previous generation, per a Harvard University analysis.
- It matches a national trend.
Why it matters: Intergenerational mobility — the idea that you'll do better than your parents, your children will do better than you, and so on — is core to the American dream.
The big picture: In 38 of the 50 biggest U.S. metro areas, Americans born to low-income families in 1992 were doing worse at age 27 than those born in 1978 at that age, per an analysis from the Census Bureau and Opportunity Insights, a research group at Harvard University.
- A few Texas cities, including Dallas, buck the national trend.
What they did: Researchers compared the average household income at age 27 for Americans from low-income families in both 1978 and 1992 to get a localized picture of changing opportunities over time.
- Brownsville, Texas, saw the biggest increase across generations: Those born in 1992 made $33,500 at age 27, compared to $31,400 for those born in 1978. The pay increased 6.7%, adjusted to 2023 dollars.
What they found: In Fort Worth, people born to low income parents in 1992 made $31,400 at 27, down from $31,900 for people born in 1978.
- Dallas pay increased slightly. Dallasites born in 1992 made $31,100 at 27, up from $30,200 for people born in 1978.
Reality check: Even though some North Texans born into low-income families fared better than their parents, their average hourly wage hovered around $16.
- The living wage for an individual in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is about $22.
The intrigue: While wage opportunity decreased for lower-income people in Tarrant County, people born to high-income families saw their pay increase.
- Black people born in high-income families saw the largest increase.
- In Dallas County, Black people born in low-income families saw an increase in pay, whereas white people born in low-income families saw a decrease, the researchers wrote.
Between the lines: The geography of mobility has shifted dramatically, especially when breaking down the data by race.
- For example, upward mobility for low-income white children on the coasts fell to rates typically seen in Appalachia.
- "Conversely, for Black children, upward mobility increased the most in the Southeast and the Midwest — areas where outcomes had historically been poorest for Black Americans," the researchers wrote.
Yes, but: "Black children born in 1992 still had poorer prospects of rising up than white children in virtually every county in America, because initial Black-white disparities were so large."
Go deeper: Explore the interactive Opportunity Atlas tool.