Multidimensional equality of opportunity in the United States

Is the United States still a land of opportunity? We provide new insights on this question by leveraging a novel approach that allows us to measure inequality of opportunity in the joint distribution of income and wealth. We show that inequality of opportunity in the US has increased by 58% from the cohort born in 1935 to the cohort of 1980. Increases are driven by a less opportunity-egalitarian income distribution for birth cohorts after 1950 and a less opportunity-egalitarian wealth distribution after 1960. Our findings suggest that the United States has consistently moved further away from a level playing field in recent decades.