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Counties where children have the best opportunity for economic mobility in Iowa

Written by:
January 23, 2024
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This story originally appeared on Wealth Enhancement Group and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

Counties where children have the best opportunity for economic mobility in Iowa

Americans have long understood that their birthplace can significantly affect their futures, and academics have increasingly been able to connect tangible early life factors like where they live and the friendships they've cultivated with potential future income.

Among the most recent studies shedding light on what's known as economic mobility—a person's ability to move themselves and their families up the socioeconomic ladder over their lifetime—are a series of papers authored by Harvard University researchers leveraging vast troves of social networking data.

As part of a national analysis, Wealth Enhancement Group used data from Harvard University's Social Capital Atlas project to identify where in Iowa children have the best (and worst) chances at upward economic mobility.

The research draws on a privacy-protected dataset representing 21 billion friendships from Facebook made public through its parent company Meta's Data for Good project. It also uses anonymous tax records, according to the authors. The scholars assigned a score to locales according to how economically connected low- and high-income people living in the area have historically been over at least a decade, per that data. The dataset does not include scores for about 180 of the 3,000 or so counties in the U.S.

The research attempts to fill in the gaps of previous efforts to study American economic mobility that did not consider a person's vast social networks nor their importance in creating better lives for themselves and their children.

It turns out the ability to cultivate friendships linking people of different socioeconomic backgrounds with one another is the strongest factor in determining whether a child can surpass the earning potential of their parents, Harvard researchers found. They call this economic connectedness.

Read on to find out where economic connectedness is strongest in your state.

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Life Atlas Photography // Shutterstock

#50. Ringgold County

- Economic connectedness: 1.
- Median Income: $57,700
- Population: 4,739
--- 95.5% white
--- 0.1% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.2% Asian
2 / 50
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#49. Jackson County

- Economic connectedness: 1.
- Median Income: $65,541
- Population: 19,499
--- 96.5% white
--- 0.5% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.5% Asian
3 / 50
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#48. Linn County

- Economic connectedness: 1.
- Median Income: $70,360
- Population: 228,567
--- 86.4% white
--- 5.9% Black
--- 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 2.3% Asian
4 / 50
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#47. Monona County

- Economic connectedness: 1.01
- Median Income: $56,107
- Population: 8,732
--- 95.6% white
--- 0.2% Black
--- 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0% Asian
5 / 50
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#46. Winnebago County

- Economic connectedness: 1.01
- Median Income: $56,578
- Population: 10,743
--- 93.8% white
--- 0.8% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 2.7% Asian
6 / 50
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#45. Dubuque County

- Economic connectedness: 1.02
- Median Income: $68,198
- Population: 98,687
--- 91.2% white
--- 3% Black
--- 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 1.3% Asian
7 / 50
Joel McCartan // Shutterstock

#44. Kossuth County

- Economic connectedness: 1.02
- Median Income: $59,878
- Population: 14,823
--- 95.4% white
--- 0.5% Black
--- 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.5% Asian
8 / 50
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#43. Poweshiek County

- Economic connectedness: 1.02
- Median Income: $56,080
- Population: 18,628
--- 92.4% white
--- 1.2% Black
--- 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 2.2% Asian
9 / 50
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#42. Hancock County

- Economic connectedness: 1.02
- Median Income: $64,730
- Population: 10,837
--- 95.5% white
--- 1.2% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.3% Asian
10 / 50
SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#41. Hardin County

- Economic connectedness: 1.02
- Median Income: $58,845
- Population: 16,997
--- 93.4% white
--- 1.1% Black
--- 1.6% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.8% Asian
11 / 50
IN Dancing Light // Shutterstock

#40. Washington County

- Economic connectedness: 1.02
- Median Income: $66,908
- Population: 22,525
--- 92.6% white
--- 0.6% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.5% Asian
12 / 50
dustin77a // Shutterstock

#39. Greene County

- Economic connectedness: 1.02
- Median Income: $52,768
- Population: 8,831
--- 94.9% white
--- 0.3% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.5% Asian
13 / 50
Kevin Isaacson // Shutterstock

#38. Worth County

- Economic connectedness: 1.03
- Median Income: $63,795
- Population: 7,450
--- 95.2% white
--- 0.7% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.5% Asian
14 / 50
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#37. Humboldt County

- Economic connectedness: 1.04
- Median Income: $60,008
- Population: 9,622
--- 95.5% white
--- 0.2% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.9% Asian
15 / 50
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#36. Plymouth County

- Economic connectedness: 1.04
- Median Income: $74,239
- Population: 25,543
--- 93.6% white
--- 1.7% Black
--- 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.4% Asian
16 / 50
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#35. Shelby County

- Economic connectedness: 1.04
- Median Income: $62,222
- Population: 11,750
--- 95.7% white
--- 1.1% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0% Asian
17 / 50
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#34. Adair County

- Economic connectedness: 1.04
- Median Income: $57,944
- Population: 7,439
--- 97.1% white
--- 0.6% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.9% Asian
18 / 50
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#33. Dallas County

- Economic connectedness: 1.05
- Median Income: $93,492
- Population: 96,604
--- 86.7% white
--- 2% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 4.5% Asian
19 / 50
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#32. Chickasaw County

- Economic connectedness: 1.05
- Median Income: $67,146
- Population: 12,021
--- 97.4% white
--- 0.6% Black
--- 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0% Asian
20 / 50
Joel McCartan // Shutterstock

#31. O'Brien County

- Economic connectedness: 1.05
- Median Income: $62,292
- Population: 14,139
--- 92.9% white
--- 1.6% Black
--- 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.7% Asian
21 / 50
Marsen // Shutterstock

#30. Jones County

- Economic connectedness: 1.06
- Median Income: $63,279
- Population: 20,680
--- 93.6% white
--- 2.2% Black
--- 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.7% Asian
22 / 50
farmer doug // Shutterstock

#29. Ida County

- Economic connectedness: 1.06
- Median Income: $57,266
- Population: 6,979
--- 95.7% white
--- 1.4% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.1% Asian
23 / 50
Jonathan Park // Shutterstock

#28. Cherokee County

- Economic connectedness: 1.07
- Median Income: $59,881
- Population: 11,606
--- 93.4% white
--- 1.4% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.4% Asian
24 / 50
Joel McCartan // Shutterstock

#27. Palo Alto County

- Economic connectedness: 1.07
- Median Income: $59,988
- Population: 8,996
--- 93.8% white
--- 1.5% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.5% Asian
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#26. Marion County

- Economic connectedness: 1.07
- Median Income: $66,822
- Population: 33,381
--- 94.8% white
--- 1% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 1.2% Asian
26 / 50
SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#25. Howard County

- Economic connectedness: 1.07
- Median Income: $60,387
- Population: 9,456
--- 96.5% white
--- 0.3% Black
--- 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.2% Asian
27 / 50
Suzanne Tucker // Shutterstock

#24. Audubon County

- Economic connectedness: 1.09
- Median Income: $54,643
- Population: 5,657
--- 96.2% white
--- 0.5% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0% Asian
28 / 50
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#23. Harrison County

- Economic connectedness: 1.09
- Median Income: $67,950
- Population: 14,589
--- 97.1% white
--- 0.2% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.2% Asian
29 / 50
Daniel Novak // Shutterstock

#22. Guthrie County

- Economic connectedness: 1.1
- Median Income: $67,625
- Population: 10,599
--- 95.1% white
--- 0.3% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.2% Asian
30 / 50
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#21. Mills County

- Economic connectedness: 1.1
- Median Income: $77,926
- Population: 14,658
--- 96.5% white
--- 0.3% Black
--- 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.3% Asian
31 / 50
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#20. Johnson County

- Economic connectedness: 1.1
- Median Income: $67,414
- Population: 151,833
--- 79.8% white
--- 7.2% Black
--- 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 6.1% Asian
32 / 50
Robert O Hull // Shutterstock

#19. Calhoun County

- Economic connectedness: 1.1
- Median Income: $60,434
- Population: 9,962
--- 94.3% white
--- 1.6% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.4% Asian
33 / 50
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#18. Carroll County

- Economic connectedness: 1.1
- Median Income: $61,157
- Population: 20,756
--- 94.1% white
--- 0.3% Black
--- 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.7% Asian
34 / 50
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#17. Boone County

- Economic connectedness: 1.11
- Median Income: $70,984
- Population: 26,721
--- 95.6% white
--- 1.2% Black
--- 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.3% Asian
35 / 50
Designs2Rise // Shutterstock

#16. Delaware County

- Economic connectedness: 1.11
- Median Income: $69,319
- Population: 17,508
--- 96.6% white
--- 0.1% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.3% Asian
36 / 50
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#15. Iowa County

- Economic connectedness: 1.11
- Median Income: $64,720
- Population: 16,596
--- 95.7% white
--- 0.7% Black
--- 0% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.2% Asian
37 / 50
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#14. Dickinson County

- Economic connectedness: 1.11
- Median Income: $65,215
- Population: 17,536
--- 95.4% white
--- 0.1% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.9% Asian
38 / 50
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#13. Warren County

- Economic connectedness: 1.11
- Median Income: $85,189
- Population: 51,862
--- 94.9% white
--- 0.8% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.8% Asian
39 / 50
Arlen E Breiholz // Shutterstock

#12. Clayton County

- Economic connectedness: 1.12
- Median Income: $58,148
- Population: 17,173
--- 96.6% white
--- 0.3% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.3% Asian
40 / 50
Doug Lambert // Shutterstock

#11. Buchanan County

- Economic connectedness: 1.12
- Median Income: $71,024
- Population: 20,598
--- 96.9% white
--- 0.6% Black
--- 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.1% Asian
41 / 50
SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#10. Benton County

- Economic connectedness: 1.12
- Median Income: $72,334
- Population: 25,654
--- 96% white
--- 0.3% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.3% Asian
42 / 50
SNC Art and More // Shutterstock

#9. Cedar County

- Economic connectedness: 1.13
- Median Income: $72,714
- Population: 18,494
--- 96.8% white
--- 0.6% Black
--- 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.7% Asian
43 / 50
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#8. Mitchell County

- Economic connectedness: 1.13
- Median Income: $60,991
- Population: 10,526
--- 97.4% white
--- 0.5% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.8% Asian
44 / 50
SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#7. Butler County

- Economic connectedness: 1.16
- Median Income: $61,109
- Population: 14,421
--- 96.4% white
--- 0.5% Black
--- 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.8% Asian
45 / 50
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#6. Madison County

- Economic connectedness: 1.16
- Median Income: $79,306
- Population: 16,414
--- 96.6% white
--- 0.9% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 1% Asian
46 / 50
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#5. Lyon County

- Economic connectedness: 1.17
- Median Income: $69,113
- Population: 11,953
--- 95.9% white
--- 0.1% Black
--- 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.6% Asian
47 / 50
Melissa L Oltman // Shutterstock

#4. Grundy County

- Economic connectedness: 1.18
- Median Income: $74,552
- Population: 12,336
--- 97% white
--- 0.7% Black
--- 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.3% Asian
48 / 50
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#3. Story County

- Economic connectedness: 1.18
- Median Income: $62,578
- Population: 98,106
--- 84.5% white
--- 2.3% Black
--- 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 7.6% Asian
49 / 50
April Taymen // Shutterstock

#2. Bremer County

- Economic connectedness: 1.2
- Median Income: $76,782
- Population: 24,863
--- 94.8% white
--- 0.9% Black
--- 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 1% Asian
50 / 50
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#1. Winneshiek County

- Economic connectedness: 1.22
- Median Income: $65,330
- Population: 20,100
--- 95.8% white
--- 0.9% Black
--- 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native
--- 0.7% Asian

This story features data reporting and writing by Dom DiFurio and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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