Like Great-Grandparent, Like Great-Grandchild? Multigenerational Mobility in American History

Zachary Ward, Kasey Buckles and Joseph Price

No 33923, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Using data on 2.5 million great-grandchildren linked to their great-grandfathers in the US (1850–1940), we show that economic gaps persisted strongly across four generations despite major structural change. We find that one-third of the initial differences in economic status across white great-grandfathers remained in their great-grandchildren. When including both Black and white families, this persistence rises to about 50 percent, largely because the gap between Black and white families closed slowly over time. Grandparent and great-grandparent status matter beyond the father's status, indicating slower convergence to the mean than predicted by two-generational estimates. However, this excess persistence is largely driven by enduring racial inequality as grandparent effects are small within the white population.

JEL-codes: J62 N31 N32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-06
Note: CH DAE LS
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