Center for the Study of Economic Mobility

A Tale of Two Cities: The Puzzle of Economic Mobility in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County

Winston-Salem in Forsyth County, NC has many aspects that rank it as a high-quality place to live. The city has made it on lists of “best downtowns.”  It has highly regarded universities and colleges, world-class hospitals, and a solid tax base. Investment is pouring into glitzy and high-profile projects such as Innovation Quarter and downtown condos. Yet underneath are some surprising and disquieting facts that seem almost paradoxical for many who live in the prosperous areas of our city/county.

Clearly, our city and county care deeply about poverty and finding solutions, as judged by the energy and money put into solving challenges around it. Some might ask, do we really need another group of researchers studying poverty in Forsyth County?