MassINC is proud to present "Recapturing the American Dream: Meeting the Challenges of the Bay State’s
Lost Decade." This joint project with the Center for Labor Market Studies was made possible by the generous
support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Partners Health Care. More so than any
previous report, this research sheds light on the economic well-being of workers at a moment when
public attention is hyper-focused on policymaking to rekindle the promise of the American Dream for
those struggling to join the middle class and remain in its ranks.
The data presented in this report show that the last decade was extremely hard for Bay State residents.
For the first time since World War II, the Commonwealth ended the decade with fewer jobs and
families went without a raise. The report describes how this sour economy created four key hurdles that Massachusetts must
now overcome.
MassINC’s mission is to support the vitality of the state’s middle class by providing solid, objective
research to inform public policy. This is the third time since our founding that we have paused to look
carefully at how residents are faring in their pursuit of the American Dream. While the news is discouraging,
we hope that these data encourage productive dialogue around the future of our commonwealth.
As always, we welcome your feedback and invite you to become more involved in MassINC.