Economic Mobility Highest In Northeastern States, Study Finds

If you want a shot at joining the upper middle class, then you may want to move to the Northeast.
States in the mid-Atlantic region, like New York, New Jersey and Maryland, have the greatest economic mobility in the U.S., according to a study released Thursday by the Pew Charitable Trusts. In Southern and Midwestern states like Oklahoma and South Carolina, workers are more likely to move down the income ladder rather than up, according to the study. (Hat tip to USA Today.)

Moving to another state might help. Americans who leave their birth states tend to have better upward economic mobility than those who stay where they were born, according to the study -- though it's not clear whether moving to a new state opens up new economic opportunities for these people, or whether people who move are simply go-getter types more likely to find success in any case.