Career Advancement: The Uphill Climb

62%

Americans who grow up in the top fifth bracket who stay in the top two-fifths

65%

Americans born into the bottom fifth who stay in the bottom two-fifths

Students from families in the bottom 50% of income make up just 14% of the undergrad population at the most competitive American universities.

42%

American men raised in the bottom fifth income bracket who stay there

Compared to 25% in Denmark and 30% in Britain

8%

Those in the bottom fifth who rise to the top fifth

Compared to 12% in Britain and 14% in Denmark

Overcoming a rough start can be tough; how do major U.S. cities rank when it comes to upward mobility?

Odds of reaching the top fifth starting from the bottom fifth

San Jose, California 12.90%

Bakersfield, California 12.20%

Toms River, New Jersey 12.20%

San Francisco, California 12.20%

Santa Barbara, California 11.30%

Washington DC, District of Columbia 11.00%

Seattle, Washington 10.90%

Salt Lake City, Utah 10.80%

Scranton, Pennsylvania 10.70%

Honolulu, Hawaii 10.50%

Boston, Massachusetts 10.50%

New York, New York 10.50%

San Diego, California 10.40%

Newark, New Jersey 10.20%

Manchester, New Hampshire 10.00%

Santa Rosa, California 10.00%

Sacramento, California 9.70%

Los Angeles, California 9.60%

Reading, Pennsylvania 9.60%

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 9.50%

Poughkeepsie, New York 9.50%

Modesto, California 9.40%

Spokane, Washington 9.30%

Portland, Oregon 9.30%

Houston, Texas 9.30%

Madison, Wisconsin 9.20%

Brownsville, Texas 9.20%

Fort Worth, Texas 9.10%

Des Moines, Iowa 9.10%

Denver, Colorado 8.70%

El Paso, Texas 8.60%

Minneapolis, Minnesota 8.50%

Allentown, Pennsylvania 8.30%

Albany, New York 8.30%

Providence, Rhode Island 8.20%

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 8.20%

Portland, Maine 8.10%

Gary, Indiana 8.10%

Las Vegas, Nevada 8.00%

Eugene, Oregon 7.90%

Bridgeport, Connecticut 7.90%

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 7.90%

Omaha, Nebraska 7.80%

Tulsa, Oklahoma 7.80%

Syracuse, New York 7.70%

Phoenix, Arizona 7.50%

Fresno, California 7.50%

Erie, Pennsylvania 7.50%

Rockford, Illinois 7.40%

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 7.40%

Miami, Florida 7.30%

Tucson, Arizona 7.10%

Dallas, Texas 7.10%

Kansas City, Missouri 7.00%

Austin, Texas 6.90%

Springfield, Massachusetts 6.80%

Sarasota, Florida 6.80%

Buffalo, New York 6.70%

Youngstown, Ohio 6.70%

Albuquerque, New Mexico 6.60%

Chicago,,Illinois 6.50%

Canton, Ohio 6.50%

Grand Rapids, Michigan 6.40%

Baltimore, Maryland 6.40%

San Antonio, Texas 6.40%

Port St. Lucie, Florida 6.20%

Pensacola, Florida 6.10%

South Bend, Indiana 6.00%

Tampa, Florida 6.00%

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 6.00%

Cape Coral, Florida 6.00%

Orlando, Florida 5.80%

Toledo, Ohio 5.70%

Nashville, Tennessee 5.70%

Knoxville, Tennessee 5.60%

Detroit, Michigan 5.50%

Richmond, Virginia 5.50%

Little Rock, Arkansas 5.40%

Virginia Beach, Virginia 5.40%

Lakeland, Florida 5.20%

Louisville, Kentucky 5.20%

Cleveland, Ohio 5.10%

New Orleans, Louisiana 5.10%

Mobile, Alabama 5.10%

Cincinnati, Ohio 5.10%

St. Louis, Missouri 5.10%

Raleigh ,North Carolina 5.00%

Birmingham, Alabama 5.00%

Dayton, Ohio 4.90%

Columbus, Ohio 4.90%

Jacksonville, Florida 4.90%

Indianapolis, Indiana 4.90%

Greenville, South Carolina 4.70%

Greensboro, North Carolina 4.70%

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 4.50%

Atlanta, Georgia 4.50%

Charlotte, North Carolina 4.40%

Fayetteville, North Carolina 3.80%

Columbia, South Carolina 3.70%

Memphis, Tennessee 2.80%

Education

There's no doubt that education is the first step toward improving your lot in life.

Median weekly earnings by educational attainment

Doctoral degree $1,624

Professional degree $1,735

Master's degree $1,300

Bachelor's degree $1,066

Associate degree $785

Some college $727

High school $652

Less than high school $471

Employment

Overcoming your status at birth isn't a simple proposition. But a few advancement-related tips might help.

46%

Percentage of people who have asked for or negotiated a pay raise

Of those who asked …

… 25% got more than they expected

… 38% got exactly what they expected

… 17% got more money but not what they were hoping for

… 5% got a non-raise incentive

… 15% got nothing

So it pays to ask; only 1 in 5 people didn't get a raise when they asked for one.