麦肯锡 -地域、目标与经济向上流动之路 Place,purpose,and the path to economic mobility 2026

McKinsey

&Company

McKinseyInstituteforEconomicMobility

Place,purpose,andthe

pathtoeconomicmobility

Whereyouliveshapesfarmorethanyou'dthink.Newresearchpointstohowcommunity,place,andconnectionrelatetogettingahead.

October2026

WhatdoesabetterlifeactuallylookliketoAmericans?TheMcKinseyInstituteforEconomic

Mobilitysurveyed30,000ofthemandfoundthat,despitetoday’spolarizeddiscourse,two-

thirdssharethesametopgoal:financialsecurity,regardlessofrace,income,orgeography.On

thisepisodeofTheMcKinseyPodcast,SeniorPartnerDianaEllsworthandPartnerJPJulienjoinEditorialDirectorRobertaFusarotoexplorefindingsfromthesurvey—offeringemployers,

educators,andpolicymakersaclearerpictureofwhatwouldmovetheneedleformanyAmericans.

WhatmostAmericanswant

RobertaFusaro:Americanshavemoreincommonthantoday’spublicdiscoursewouldsuggest.

Here’swhatMiguel,35,fromMichigan,sayswouldmattermostforimprovinghisqualityoflife.

Miguel:Abetterlifeformeandmyfamilywouldlooklikebeingabletobuyahome,beingabletoaffordallthebasicnecessities:rent,utilities,car,food,healthcare,aswellasbeingableto

haveenoughleftovertosaveforthefuture,forretirementandvacations.

RobertaFusaro:WouldyousaythatMiguel’scommentscapturethecommongoalsthatallAmericansshare,regardlessofrace,income,orgeography?

JPJulien:Itreallydoes.WhatwasfascinatingisthatwhileMiguel’sstoryisdeeplypersonal,

manyofthethemeshesharedresonatedwidely.Oneofthethingswedidwasask30,000

Americanstodescribe,intheirownwords,whatabetterlifewouldlooklikeforthemandtheirfamilyoverthenextthreetofiveyears.Somepeoplewroteparagraphs,somewrotesentences,andwecodedeverysingleresponse.Whatyoufindisthatfortwo-thirdsofAmericans,greaterfinancialsecurityisthetopaspirationthey’restrivingfor.Thatheldacrossincome,race,and

placeinawayIthinkwasreallyinteresting.

RobertaFusaro:Anotherinterestingpointfromtheresearchisthatthestageoflifeplaysaroleinthesepriorities.Inwhatways?

DianaEllsworth:OurresearchfoundthathowAmericansexperienceeconomicmobilityisreallyshapedbylifestage.Wefocusedonthreekeylifestages:youngadultsenteringtheworkforce,parentsraisingafamily,andthosepreparingforretirement.

Youngadultsweremuchmorelikelytobecareerandincomefocusedandworriedabouttheuncertaintyintoday’slabormarket.Theywerealsomorelikelytocitementalhealthasarealbarriertotheirprogress—abouttwiceaslikelyasotherrespondents.

Parents,ontheotherhand—andI’lladmitthisonehitsclosetohome—wereparticularlyfocusedoncreatingbetteropportunitiesfortheirchildren.Astheythoughtaboutthat,thecostoflivingwasthetopconcern,andthatwastrueacrossincomelevels.Forlower-incomeparents,physicalandmentalhealthchallenges,unemployment,andjobsecuritywererealpotentialbarriers.For

Place,purpose,andthepathtoeconomicmobility2

Place,purpose,andthepathtoeconomicmobility3

‘Fortwo-thirdsofAmericans,greaterfinancialsecurityisthetopaspirationthey’restrivingfor.’

higher-incomeparents,timewasthebiggestbarriertoprogress.Withineachlifestage,wesawsomevariance,butthebiggestdriverreallywasthelifestageitself.

Forthosenearingretirement,prioritizingsavingforthefuturewas,notsurprisingly,whattheysawasmostimportantandmostfrontofmindastheythoughtabouttheirowneconomic

mobility.

Economicpressurepoints

RobertaFusaro:OneoftheotherthingswesawintheresearchisthatthehighcostoflivingisweighingonmanyAmericans.Here’sJoan.She’s48andlivesinFlorida.

Joan:Idon’tknowifIcanaffordhealthcare.That’sthebigunknownrightnow.Imean,withtheACA[AffordableCareAct]subsidiesrightnow,it’slike$1,300amonthformyselfandmy

husband,andthat’ssoexpensive.It’sahugebarrier.

RobertaFusaro:AfterlisteningtoJoan’scomments,who—orwhichpartsofthepopulation—aremostconcernedabouthealthcare?

JPJulien:Whatwasinterestingwasthatitcameuponbothendsofthespectrum.Itwasthingslike,“Yes,Iwanttobeabletoaffordmyhealthcare,”asJoanmentioned,butthenalso,“IwanttobehealthyenoughtonotbeaburdentomyfamilyasIretire.Iwanttobehealthyenoughand

activethatIcanageinthehomeI’vespentmylifebuilding.”

Alotofwhatpeoplewerestrivingforwasasenseofwell-being—tobeabletolivetheirlife,

particularlyattheendofit,withdignity,andtoremaininthecommunitiesthey’vebuilt.WhatIlovedaboutthatundertoneisthatweoftenthinkofhealthasseparatefromeconomicmobility.

What’sclearfromthisresearch,andfromwhatwe’rehearingfrompeople,isthathealthisthefundamentalinfrastructureforeverythingwedo.Thereisnoeconomicmobilitywithouthealthandwell-being.Justseeinghowclearlypeopletetheredthosetwoconceptswashelpfulaswethinkaboutpotentialsolutionstomovethisworkforward.

Place,purpose,andthepathtoeconomicmobility4

RobertaFusaro:Drillingdownabitfurther—becauseyouhadsomuchgreatdataanddetailinthereport—whichspecifichouseholdexpensesdidAmericansidentifyascreatingthegreatestfinancialstrain?

JPJulien:Weaskedpeopletwoquestions.Thefirstwas,whatisthegreatestbarriertoyour

progress?Byfar,therisingcostoflivingwasthenumberonethingpeoplecited—60percentofAmericanssaidthat’sthethinggettinginthewayofthemachievingtheirdreams.

Thenweasked,withinthecostofliving,whichcostsspecifically?Nineoutoftenpeoplesaidthecostoffoodandgroceriesispressuringtheirhouseholdrightnow—morethanhousingcosts,

morethangas,morethanhealthcare,morethaneducation.

What’sinteresting—andtheresearchsupportsthis—isthatwe’remuchmoreawareofpricesweinteractwithfrequently:Thecostofgroceriesisincreasingweektoweek,evenrelativetosomeofthesebiggerhouseholditems.Asthefatheroftwoboys,Ispendalotoftimeatthegrocerystore,soIknowthepriceofoatmilk,apples,andoatmeal—thosearestaplesatmyhouse.

RobertaFusaro:Diana,youmentionedmentalhealth.Theresearchnotesthattherisingcostoflivingisn’tjustafinancialissue;it’sasocialandpsychologicaloneaswell.Inwhatwaysisthis

affectinghowpeoplethinkaboutthefuture?

DianaEllsworth:Therealityisthataffordabilitypressureschangehowpeopleimaginetheirfuture,andthatwasrepeatedofteninthestoriesweheard.Whenthebasiccostoflivingisrisingfasterthanpeople’sownsenseofsecurity,theygetnervousaboutthefuture.

Insteadoffeelingexcitedandplanningforit,theyfeelliketheyhavetodefendagainstwhatcouldgowrong.Thatpsychologicalconsequenceisreal,andittranslatesintomajordecisionsabouthowpeoplelivetheirlives—likedelayinghavingchildren.Itmakesthemnervousaboutchangingjobs.Itmakesthemnervousaboutpursuingeducationandotherlonger-term

investmentstheymightwanttomake;theybecomeafraidtobecauseoftheirmonthlybudgetandthehere-and-nowpressureofaffordability.

Thatmeanspeoplefeelliketheyloseagency.Ifthey’reonemedicalbill,onerentincrease,onejobdisruptionawayfromfeelinglikeeverythingcouldbedestabilized,they’remuchlesslikelytotakethestepsthatcouldhelpthemcreateupwardmobilityforthemselvesandtheirfamilies.

Whateducatorsandemployerscando

RobertaFusaro:Whatstepscanemployers,educators,andpolicymakerstakeifcareerpathwaysbecomelesspredictablethantheyhavebeenforpreviousgenerations?

DianaEllsworth:Ifwethinkabouteducatorsfirst,thatmeansfindingtherightcombinationofstrengtheningrealfoundationalskillsandbuildingdurablehumanskillsthatwillbeneedednow

Place,purpose,andthepathtoeconomicmobility5

andinthefuture.Andthen,howdotheythinkaboutwhatwecall“earnandlearn”pathwaysthatconnectclassroomlearningtorealcareeropportunitiesovertime?

RobertaFusaro:Howshouldbusinessleadersthinkdifferentlyabouthowtheydesigntheirpoliciesandprograms?

DianaEllsworth:Forbusinessleadersoremployers,alotofitisaboutmakingcareerpathwaysmoretransparent,flexible,andsupportiveforthebroadersetoftheiremployeesorpotential

employees.Thatmeansthingslikeclearpromotioncriteria—helpingpeopleunderstandhow

they’regoingtomoveup.You’reseeingabigmovementtowardskills-basedhiring,tobroadenwhowecanbringintotheworkforceandintowhatroles.Thingslikepaidtrainingand

apprenticeshipscanhelppeopletakeonopportunitiesthatmightnototherwiseseemavailabletothem.

Inourresearchandfromthestorieswecollected,weheardabouttherealbenefitsemployerscanprovidetoaddresstherealitiesofworkers’lives—thingslikechildcare,healthcare,

schedulingflexibility,andmentalhealthsupports.

JPJulien:Whenwetalkedtopeopleaboutwhatelsetheiremployeroffersthem,therewasa

realsensethatthere’svalueinthecommunityofcoworkers,ingettingmentorshipattheirjob,infeelingliketheirlifehaspurposeandwakingupexcitedtogodosomething.Theseare

nonfinancialbenefitsthatpeoplereallyvalue,andIthinkemployersuniquelyofferthem—it’simportanttohighlightthat.

Whyasenseofcommunityfuelsasenseofagency

RobertaFusaro:ThepeopleMcKinseyinterviewedwhosaytheyfeelconnectedtotheir

communityalsosaytheyfeelliketheyhavemoreagencyovertheirlivesandtheirfuture.Here’soneofthem—Jasmine,who’s40andfromTexas.

Jasmine:BecauseIworkfortheschools,IfeellikeIknowalotofthecommunity.Iknow

parents,Iknowkids.Igotothegrocerystore,andlittlekidsrunuptomeandgivemeahug.

RobertaFusaro:Butonlyathirdofsurveyrespondentssaytheyfeelthisway.Diana,whyisfeelingpartofacommunitysoimportant?

DianaEllsworth:Jasmine’squoteresonateswithmesomuch.Twenty-fiveyearsagothismonth,IstartedasapublicschoolteacherinAtlanta,andmyexperienceofcommunity

connectioninthatrolewasoverwhelming—it’sbeencentraltomeeversince.

Theresearchfoundthatpeoplewhofeelstronglyconnectedtotheircommunitiesaretwiceas

likelytofeelthattheyhaveasayinthedirectionoftheirlives.They’rethreetimesaslikelytosaytheyfeelincontroloftheirfuture,andfourtimesaslikelytofeelthattheirlifehasmomentum,

Place,purpose,andthepathtoeconomicmobility6

evenaftercontrollingfordemographiccharacteristics.

Itputstheminadifferentpositiontoaccessinformation,findsupport,andexpressagencyintakingstepstowardwhateverthey’reaspiringto.

RobertaFusaro:JP,whatstepscancommunityleadersandotherstakeholderstaketoincreasethatsenseofcommunity?

JPJulien:Ittakesthreethingstobuildcommunity:place,purpose,andproximity.There’sgoodresearcharoundthis.Peopleneedplacestogo—bothtoliveintheircommunity,sohousingisabigtopicthere,butalsospacestocongregate:parks,communitycenters,bowlingalleys.

Theythenneedapurpose—areasontocongregateandbeincommunitytogether,whether

that’stoplayagame,playasport,orworship.Andthebestversionofthatiswhenyou’reabletoputpeoplewhoaredifferentfromeachotherinproximity—acrossraciallines,acrosslinesof

income,acrossdifferentpartsofageography.That’swhereyougetthesecretsauceofpeoplefeelingadeepsenseofcommunitywithintheplacewheretheylive.

Thereareverytacticalthingsthatpolicymakers,governments,andprivatesectorleaderscan

do.Youcansupportcivicspaces—makerealcommitmentstolibraries,museums,andparksthatgivepeopleopportunitiestobeincommunitywithoneanother.Youcansupportcommunity

organizationslikebowlingleagues,recreationalsports,andhousesofworshiptoensurepeoplehaveapurposetogettogether.Andthenyoucanfindwaystoensurethoseinteractionshappenacrosslinesofdifference.

Placeisfundamentaltoeconomicopportunity

RobertaFusaro:We’veestablishedthatmanyfactorscontributetohowpeopleexperience

economicopportunity.Placeisfoundational—butit’snotthewholestory.Here’sReg.He’s49andlivesinPhiladelphia,andhehasawholeotherissueonhismind.

Reg:Ithinkmoney,knowinghowtomanageyourmoneyandhandleit,isabigdeal.It’s

somethingtheydon’tteachyoualotinschool,especiallyintheinnercity,andit’sadownfall,especiallyforpeoplelikeme.IwishIwould’veknownabouthowtoplanwithmoney.

RobertaFusaro:Registalkingaboutunderstandingmoreaboutfinancesandhislackofeducationonthetopic.JP,howdoesplaceaffecteducationalopportunity?

JPJulien:IthinkReg’spointisspoton.Whathelearnedinschoolwasadistillationofhislocalschooldistrictandlocalgovernmentdecisions—whatwastaught,towhatextenthisschoolhadtheresourcestoteachthingslikefinancialeducation,whatexposurehehadtofinancial

markets,whetherthroughprivateorsocialsectororganizations.

Place,purpose,andthepathtoeconomicmobility7

‘Peoplewhofeelstronglyconnectedtotheircommunitiesaretwiceaslikelytofeelthattheyhaveasayinthe

directionoftheirlives.’

Inalotofways,whathe’sexpressingisthatheexperiencedsomethingdeeplyshapedbyplace.Thisisoneofthewaysplace,throughdirectandindirectways,reallydoesshapepeople’s

experiences.Educationalopportunityisoneexample,butwealsoknowthatplaceshapeswhereRegisabletowork,becausetheemployersinhislocaleconomyarerelativelyfixed.Itshapes

theextenttowhichhehasaccesstocleanwaterandgreenspace,andtowhatextenthecanaccessfoodandfinancialservices.Placereallydoesshapewhetherpeoplehavethe

environmentandconditionsneededtosucceed,andReg’sexampleisaprimeonewherethatcomestothefore.

Ifeconomicmobilityisfundamentallyaboutpeoplehavingmoreincomeandwealthtosupportthemselves,butalsoaboutasenseofcontrolandautonomyaboutwhathappensintheirlives,andasenseofdignityandbelongingintheplacewheretheylive—ifallthreeofthosethingsarewhatwedefineaseconomicmobility,placeplaysaroleacrosseachofthem.

TheAmericandream,perceived

RobertaFusaro:HastheAmericandreamfundamentallychanged,giveneverythinghappeninginourworldrightnow?

DianaEllsworth:Idon’tthink,atitscore,theAmericandreamhasfundamentallychanged.

Peoplewanttobuildabetterlife.Theywanttosupporttheirfamilies.Theywanttoworkwithdignity,ownahome,andsaveforthefuture.Peoplearemuchmoreconcernedaboutwhetherthat’sareality—whetheriteverhasbeen,butcertainlywhetherit’srealinthismoment.

JPJulien:That’sexactlyright,Diana.Ifeellikeit’sthecontextthat’sshifting.Peopleare

reasonableandrationaltobeworriedaboutwhethertheconditionswe’recurrentlyfacingenablemorepeopletoexperienceeconomicmobility.

Place,purpose,andthepathtoeconomicmobility8

‘Ittakesthreethingstobuild

community:place,purpose,andproximity.’

Theoneactionthatwouldmovetheneedlemost

RobertaFusaro:Ifyoucouldrecommendjustoneaction,basedonthisreport,thataneducator,policymaker,orbusinessleadercouldtake,whatwouldhavethegreatestimpactoneconomic

mobilityoverthenextdecade?

JPJulien:I’vegotone