‘Middle cities’ residents deserve the same economic opportunities as Bostonians

A Brookings Institution study made headlines in January when it found that Boston has the worst income inequality of any major American city. In doing so, the study obscured the far more punishing reality of Massachusetts cities outside Boston, which have seen far less economic growth and today resemble the worst-hit parts of Rhode Island more than they do Greater Boston. Springfield ranked 64th for income inequality in that Brookings study. It fared better than Boston because its anemic econom

A Brookings Institution study made headlines in January when it found that Boston has the worst income inequality of any major American city. In doing so, the study obscured the far more punishing reality of Massachusetts cities outside Boston, which have seen far less economic growth and today resemble the worst-hit parts of Rhode Island more than they do Greater Boston. Springfield ranked 64th for income inequality in that Brookings study. It fared better than Boston because its anemic econom…