Abstract: In this paper, we examine the relationship between city size and rural intergenerational mobility using prefecture‐level data in China. We find that intergenerational mobility in rural areas is positively related to urban population of the affiliated cities. This correlation is partially driven by better coverage of secondary and university education for the rural young who reside close to large cities. Moreover, our further investigation shows that the return to high school education is less dependent on parent incomes around larger cities for rural young people.