A study finds the odds of rising to another income level are notably low in certain cities, like Atlanta and Charlotte, and much higher in New York and Boston.

 

Climbing the income ladder occurs less often in the Southeast and industrial Midwest, the data shows, with the odds notably low in Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Columbus. By contrast, some of the highest rates occur in the Northeast, Great Plains and West, including in New York, Boston, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Seattle and large swaths of California and Minnesota.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/business/in-climbing-income-ladder-location-matters.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=1&

Fascinating.  Not all that surprising, but fascinating nonetheless.  I'd suspect it is a bit misleading in certain respects, such as the heavy blue of the Dakotas which is probably more the result of the energy boom in that area than some other conscious effort to promote social mobility