From fry sauce to social mobility, here’s a closer look at what Gov. Cox says makes Utah ‘weird’

Excerpt:

For around the last decade, Utah has had a particularly high rate of social mobility, or the ability of people to progress financially and socially in an environment. Social capital and economic mobility rates are also some of the best in the nation.

In 2014, Nancy Cook and National Journal published an article in The Atlantic analyzing why it is that low-income children in Salt Lake City have a high upward mobility rate. “Salt Lake City still possesses two of the major strengths that made it one of the best cities in the country for upward mobility: a strong middle class and a less extreme gap between the rich and the poor,” the article said.

A report from Archbridge Institute released late last year found that Utah had the highest rate of social mobility overall. What the rates ultimately boil down to is how many opportunities there are to move up from one economic class to another and the health of the overall society.

“The American dream lives here. You see, in Utah, we still care about our communities. We still care about our neighbors,” Cox said Thursday. “We still believe that we can solve problems and help those who are struggling. We know that we have a duty to give back and lift others.”

Read the full article at Deseret News.

Read Social Mobility in the 50 States here.