Leading on Opportunity briefs council: Charlotte rose from 50 to 38 in Chetty mobility rankings; advocates outline policy steps

Leading on Opportunity executives updated Charlotte City Council members on economic mobility findings and policy recommendations drawn from Raj Chetty’s research and local data compiled in the group’s Opportunity Compass.

Sherry Chisholm, executive director of Leading on Opportunity, told the council the county’s rank improved to 38 from 50 in Chetty’s national study of intergenerational mobility. Chisholm and Tanya Jamieson, the group’s policy lead, attributed that progress to sustained public‑private partnership, regional economic expansion and a strong nonprofit ecosystem that helps residents access services and navigation support.

Why it matters: The Chetty data and Leading on Opportunity’s local analysis are used by city and county leaders to shape long-term investments in housing, transit, education and workforce strategies. The group presented a set of “proven” policy tactics that it said are linked in research to improved mobility outcomes.

Key findings and recommendations

• Place-based, two-generation focus: Chisholm said Chetty’s latest work emphasizes improving entire neighborhoods and the social environments children are raised in, in addition to individual interventions. Jamieson recommended policies that “start in childhood” and improve parents’ economic stability because early exposure to stronger environments shows measurable gains in later life outcomes.

• Policy buckets with local examples: Leading on Opportunity mapped 150 evidence‑based tactics to the council’s committee structure and confirmed the city already implements many (marked “true/false” in the Compass). The presenters highlighted several specific opportunities for municipal or county partnership, including:

- Tenant legal representation: Jamieson cited a Mecklenburg County pilot that reached $1 million in funding in FY 2024. Research cited by the presenters shows legal representation for low‑income tenants in eviction proceedings produces net public savings in reduced safety-net costs; the city was urged to explore predictable, long‑term funding.

- Anti‑displacement and housing stability: The presenters said the city’s Home for All framework contains the elements researchers find needed to reduce chronic homelessness and displacement, but they urged clearer stakeholder buy‑in and dedicated implementation supports.

- Traffic safety and Vision Zero tools: Jamieson identified automated speed‑enforcement cameras and other vision‑zero investments as proven strategies to reduce serious injuries and fatalities. She noted North Carolina law allows some camera programs and that different cities use fixed or mobile deployments depending on need.

- Child care and workforce supports: The presentation recommended local work to support child care providers (zoning and code changes to expand capacity) and ongoing advocacy for compensation support at the state level.

- Wealth‑building and jobs: The presenters recommended scaling microloan programs, summer youth employment, and considering federally studied “Paycheck Plus” refundable tax credits for low‑income adults as tools to strengthen employment and reduce severe poverty.

What the council asked for or signaled

Council members asked for follow‑up detail on how to implement legal support for tenants locally and how state statutes affect municipal options such as camera enforcement and zoning changes to support child care. Leading on Opportunity said it will provide more granular policy materials and a countywide update of the Opportunity Compass later in the year.

Ending note

Leading on Opportunity framed Charlotte’s progress as a community achievement and encouraged continued cross‑sector collaboration. The nonprofit said the city had improved more than many peer places, but urged sustained investment and better alignment of local policy levers — including municipal, county and state coordination — to keep that momentum going.