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This chapter describes the rising importance of middle-class refinement in the United States, and shows that black and white Americans fostered this culture together. Pursuit of middle-class status on the part of blacks and whites created unique kinds of dependencies, with whites dependent on black service workers for their very appearance and sense of subjective wellbeing and black Cincinnatians and Louisvillians reliant, in part, on white allies for legal and political advocacy in state legislatures. Black and white Americans imagined a common bond in the pursuit of refinement and the security of middle-class homes and families.

The author begins The Servant Class City with an introduction to one of their friends, the entrepreneur Raymond, and the odd jobs he does to earn a living. To some observers, Raymond’s situation and outlook is frustrating; he is obviously a hard worker, so why doesn’t he just learn a trade or start his own business? The barriers to either, however, are multiple. It is not from the lack of trying; but rather, the structures of opportunity have shifted, making it difficult to attain any level of economic security or move up economically through greater income. The book specifically examines the unique economic structures of the city of San Diego, California.

The third chapter is the first of the book’s study into different industries that specifically looks at job quality, including wages, benefits, and working conditions. It looks specifically at the ‘hospitality industry’, such as restaurants and hotels, which provide thousands of entry-level positions for the labour force of San Diego. Overall, it is characterized as a low-wage industry that is labour intensive and employs large numbers of low-income workers, immigrants, and people of color.

The fourth chapter looks more closely at employment in the retail sector, noting the poor job quality and challenges to workers in the industry. It first looks at the general trends in the industry that ultimately have an influence on employment practices and job quality. In the second section it discusses the promotion of retail in the inner city by developers and planning bodies, and in the final section it looks closely at job quality, career ladders, and case studies of issues related to working in retail.

The sixth chapter examines the ways that people provide for themselves within low-income communities in the absence of market-based or public sector solutions for everything from childcare to banking. Recalling previous chapters, the hospitality and retail industries are, on average, inadequate in terms of job quality. A lack of skills upgrading or experience, stagnant or falling wages, and limited career ladders make these industries less than appealing to many inner-city residents. As some move to the further margins of the economy, working informally to supplement their low wages or to drop out of the labor force entirely, they run into additional problems, like a lack of benefits and labor market attachment. This often makes it harder to return to a formal employment.

The concluding chapter of The Servant Class City provides a review of the key issues and makes policy suggestions. The lack of economic mobility in the United States is a growing problem across socioeconomic and racial/ethnic demographics. The central research question regarding economic mobility is why so many people in low-income families have a difficult time moving out of the bottom rungs. The chapter also criticizes the current status of urban policy.