Mobility and Distribution

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Abstract
This article examines the mobility of Utah households as measured by their wealth holdings reported in the census manuscripts of 1860 and 1870. Substantial mobility is observed though there is a tendency for the households to remain in the richest decile. Control for age, nativity, or dichotomies such as urban-rural or farm and nonfarm does not substantially reduce mobility. The lack of association of characteristics with the observed mobility, combined with high levels of cross-sectional inequality, highlights the importance of measuring mobility as well as wealth or income dispersion in order to make valid normative inferences.

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