Economic mobility is often described as how a person’s economic well-being changes over a lifetime. As a person’s income increases, they are considered upwardly mobile. Economic mobility is influenced by an individual’s community, neighborhood, geographic area and population group.
Economic mobility is viewed by the National League of Cities (NLC) as a continuum – starting with economic stability (ability to meet basic needs), progressing to economic security (stable employment and ability to cover expenses) and ultimately to wealth building (ability to save for self and family’s future).
The resources in this toolkit are meant to help local leaders advance upward economic mobility in their communities and to enable all residents to participate in a strong local economy, now and in the future.
How to Use this Toolkit
Advance through the toolkit in order of the areas listed below or use the toolkit menu to jump to a specifc section. Where available, links to case studies are available showing real life applications of toolkit resources.
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what you need to know
Economic Mobility and City Levers

area 1
Advancing Family-Supporting Employment

area 2
Boosting Small Business

area 3
Strengthening the Municipal Workforce

area 4
Supporting Wage Growth
