Mark R. Rank

Mark R. Rank, PhD, serves as the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, where he is a preeminent scholar on poverty, inequality, and social justice. His seminal research demonstrates that over half of Americans face poverty during their lifetimes, reshaping public discourse on economic vulnerability.

Rank earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin. His educational trajectory established the foundation for his empirical studies on socioeconomic dynamics and policy implications.

His research spans poverty dynamics, economic inequality, and social welfare policy, with particular focus on debunking poverty myths and analyzing the profound role of luck and chance in life outcomes. Rank integrates life course methodology and family demography to expose systemic flaws in the American social safety net, emphasizing data-driven approaches over stereotypes.

His scientific awards reflect exceptional scholarly impact:

• Society for Social Work and Research Book Award (2016) for Chasing the American Dream
• Society for Social Work and Research Book Award, runner-up (2023) for Poorly Understood
• Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Silver Medal (2023) for Poorly Understood
• Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist (Current Events & Social Change, 2023) for Poorly Understood
• National Indie Excellence Awards (two categories, 2023) for Poorly Understood
• Eric Hoffer Book Award finalist (2025) for The Random Factor
• Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist (2025) for The Random Factor
• National Indie Excellence Award finalist (2025) for The Random Factor

Rank has advised doctoral students including Kirk A. Foster (now at University of South Carolina). His research directly influences policy, with expertise sought by U.S. Congress members and national organizations. The Confronting Poverty website he developed features a widely used poverty risk calculator, exceeding 1 million page views from 200+ countries, and is actively integrated into academic curricula and social justice initiatives globally.