The Wealth Gap Is Crushing America's Youth [CHARTS]

Their 401(k)s were pummeled during the recession, their earnings plummeted, and even a college degree couldn't guarantee them a job in shaky economic times.

But what about the children?

Under the radar, study after study has shown just how the growing wealth gap could stymie upward mobility for America's youth. In a telling report by Washington, D.C.-based think tank, The Hamilton Project, a team of researchers uncover economic data that show exactly how income inequality can impact social mobility in America.

"It is too early to say for certain whether the rise in income inequality over the past few decades has caused a fall in social mobility of the poor and those in the middle class," the authors write. "The first generation of Americans to grow up under this inequality is, on average, in high school—but the early signs are troubling."