Las Vegas and the Middle Class
About the Project
Las Vegas and the Middle Class is a major project exploring public policy initiatives designed to improve the quality of life of the middle class in Las Vegas, and to increase the number of people rising to join its ranks. Through independent, non-partisan analysis and policy development, we seek to advance public understanding of the challenges facing the middle class in Las Vegas, and barriers to upward mobility.
In collaboration with visiting scholars from the Brookings Institution - including Richard Reeves, Camille Busette, and others – experts at Brookings Mountain West, The Lincy Institute, and faculty across the UNLV campus will explore public policy questions critical to Las Vegas and the region. As part of the Brookings Institution’s Future Of The Middle Class Initiative, this project will combine the expertise of this nationally-focused project with a local-focus on the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Current Events
In the News
Publications
Should Las Vegas Bet on Homeownership? Trends in Housing Affordability and Homeownership
By Jenny Schuetz
In many parts of the U.S., rents and housing prices are rising faster than household incomes. Low-income families have always been stretched to pay for housing without sacrificing other necessities. In recent years, housing costs have become a larger source of financial stress for middle-income families. While homeownership has been the primary channel for wealth building in the U.S., two recent trends raise questions about whether this is a viable strategy. First, many homeowners suffered severe financial losses due to housing price declines during the Great Recession (2007-2009). Second, homeownership rates for Black and Latino families lag those of white and Asian families – a challenge as the nation’s population becomes increasingly diverse. The Las Vegas metropolitan area is at the forefront of both of these trends. In this paper, I explore recent trends in housing affordability and homeownership in Las Vegas and discuss implications for financial security and wealth-building.
Top ten 2018 reads on the Future of the Middle Class
By Richard Reeves and Katherine Guyot
It has been a busy year for the Future of the Middle Class Initiative. After launching in May with an event keynoted by Vice President Joe Biden, we defined the middle class, partnered with a team of policy experts to study it, and heard from Governors John Kasich and John Hickenlooper for the release of our own Isabel Sawhill’s new book, The Forgotten Americans: An Economic Agenda for a Divided Nation.
Building A Strong Middle Class In The American Mountain West
By Richard Reeves
Using data from the Equality of Opportunity Project, Reeves explores how public universities in the Mountain West differ significantly in terms of the populations they serve and the outcomes for their students. Colorado State University, the University of Utah, all public universities in Arizona, and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) all take around half their students from families in the top 20% of the national income distribution, and very few from the bottom 20%. The other four institutions—Utah State University, Boise State University, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) take many more students from families in the middle 60% of the distribution. UNLV takes more students from the middle 60% (62%) than any other university in the Mountain West.
Upward Mobility in the American Mountain West
By Richard Reeves
Upward economic and social mobility is an intrinsic element of American society. Data from the Equality of Opportunity Project (EOP) demonstrates that upward mobility is a critical issue for our nation’s metros. An analysis of Mountain West metros and the performances of colleges and universities in this region reveal how the differing economic, demographic, and social characteristics affect mobility. This brief explores upward mobility rates, measures of diversity, levels of domestic and foreign migration, and students’ family household income and their eventual individual incomes. The comparison of postsecondary institutions in Mountain West metros serves as a microcosm to better understand how metros and their universities can best serve our nation’s ever diversifying population.
Making a Middle Class: Colleges and Cities in the Mountain West
By Richard Reeves
A stronger middle class is important for the economic and political future of both cities and nations. Analyses focusing on the size of the middle class can be misleading, providing information on income inequality or temporary economic conditions. More important than the size of the middle class is the quality of life of the middle class. Higher education can serve students from middle-class backgrounds, helping them sustain a middle-class standard of living and rise up the economic ladder, as well as providing “on ramps” to the middle class for those from low-income backgrounds. We show that middle class wage earners bore the brunt of the Great Recession in Las Vegas. Using a new metric of mobility based on data from Opportunity Insights (formerly the Equality of Opportunity Project), we also examine the contribution of colleges in the Mountain West to serving and strengthening the middle class.
Presentations
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Nov. 20, 2019
Housing - Las Vegas and the Middle Class
Brookings Mountain West was pleased to present an event focusing on housing as part of “Las Vegas and the Middle Class,” a major project exploring public policy initiatives designed to improve the quality of life of the… -
Mar. 7, 2018
Upward Mobility in the Mountain West
As part of the Brookings Scholar Lecture Series, Brookings Mountain West invited the public to a lecture titled "Upward Mobility in the Mountain West" by Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, Richard Reeves. This lecture…
Brookings Contributors
Camille Busette, Ph.D.
Richard Reeves, Ph.D.
Jenny Schuetz, Ph.D.
Helpful Links
- Brookings Mountain West Homepage
- Brookings – Future of the Middle Class Initiative
- Brookings – Where does the American middle class live?
- Brookings – The Robots Are Coming. Let's Help Get The Middle Class Ready
- Harvard – Opportunity Insights
- Pew Research Center - Are You in the American Middle Class?
- Pew Research Center - The American Middle Class, Losing Ground to Upper Income Families
- Fortune - The Shrinking Middle Class: How We Got Here, And Why
- Fortune - The Shrinking Middle Class - By The Numbers
- Forbes - Who Is Middle Class Anyway?
- The Aspen Institute - Expanding Economic Opportunity for More Americans