LOUISVILLE, KY. (AP) -- A new study of which states are more likely to have residents moving up or down the earnings ladder has been released, and Kentucky is among the nine Southern states that have economic mobility below the national average.

The Pew Charitable Trusts conducted the research, studying Americans' mobility prospects during their prime working years and focusing on people born between 1943 and 1958.

The study show that eight states, mostly in the Mideast and New England regions, have consistently higher upward and lower downward mobility compared with the national average. Kentucky is in the group that has consistently lower upward and higher downward mobility.

The study measured residents' average earnings growth over time as well as people's rank on the ladder relative to their peers.

For more information, visit http://www.economicmobility.org.