National Equity Atlas: February Update

Dear Equity Atlas users,

Greetings! Please see below for a round-up of additions to the National Equity Atlas in the last quarter of 2015. 

We also have a favor to ask: If you have been using the Atlas, would you write a short testimonial about what you used it for and what impact it had/what you liked about it? We have a specific opportunity to share a user testimonial in a new national resource, and an ongoing need to document how our data is informing community action. Please share your two-sentence testimonial here.
 

New Data

  • In October, we added the 100 largest cities to the Atlas, increasing the number of geographies represented to 301! Check out our webinar releasing the data.
  • We added gender and race/ethnicity breakdowns to two economic indicators: Unemployment and Wages: Median (gender is also available for the Wages: $15/hr indicator).

 

New Reports

  • We analyzed the potential economic gains of true full employment for the Fed Up Coalition. Our series of fact sheets (for the U.S. as a whole and 12 metros) illustrate the improvements to employment, income, GDP, poverty, and tax revenue if everyone who wanted a job could find one — regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.

 

In the News

  • Matt Vasilogambros of the National Journal analyzed the racial wage gaps in America’s metros using Atlas data, reporting on the continued gaps even among highly-educated workers and the worst and best regions for Black, Latino, and Asian workers on this measure.
  • In January, the Chicago Tribune used Atlas data — revealing that by 2020, 47 percent of Chicago’s jobs will require an associate’s degree or higher, yet only 29 percent of U.S.-born Latinos and 28 percent of U.S.-born blacks in the area currently have that level of education — to frame a story about strategies to prepare young people of color for the jobs of the future.
  • The Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) invited Atlas team member Sarah Treuhaft to write about the Atlas and the practice of combining data with narrative for policy change on its blog.

Data In Action

 

Webinars

 
Thank you for using our data and being a part of the movement to build an equitable economy!

The Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and PERE

Indicator Update: Unemployment Data Now Disaggregated by Both Gender and Race

The National Equity Atlas includes historical data on unemployment at the national, state, regional, and city levels. We have recently updated this indicator to provide more detailed information on unemployment by gender as well as race/ethnicity; here’s an overview of the unemployment data available in the Atlas and how you can use it.

What it measures

The unemployment rate reported in the Atlas is calculated as the number of people ages 25–64 who are out of work divided by the number who are in the labor force, defined as working or actively seeking employment (over the last four weeks). No data is reported for demographic subgroups with insufficient sample sizes.

Atlas users can compare unemployment by gender both within and between racial groups, and track trends over time, with data going back to 1990.

What it shows

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment gender gap (the difference between female and male unemployment rates) “virtually disappeared after 1980–except during recessions, when men’s unemployment rates always exceed women’s.” This is reflected in the data for the United States presented in the Atlas with the overall gender gap near zero in both 1990 and 2000, but with men’s unemployment rates exceeding women’s by 0.6 percentage points in 2012. (Because the data reported for 2012 represents a 2008-2012 average, these figures span the period during and immediately following the Great Recession.) In our 2012 data, women’s unemployment was lower than men’s in 45 states (plus the District of Columbia), 61 of the 100 largest cities, and 110 of the 150 largest metro areas.  

The newly disaggregated data also show that in each gender group, unemployment remains significantly higher among people of color. Nationally, unemployment for White men was 7 percent, compared with 10 percent for men of color. Among women the gap was even greater: 6 percent unemployment for White women and 10 percent for women of color. Of course, these figures vary greatly among different regions. For example, the tables below list the regions with the lowest unemployment rates among men and women of color.

The Atlas makes it easy to dig a little deeper and compare rates of unemployment across different racial and gender groups. The following chart displays more detailed information for the Anchorage, AK metro region, which has one of the highest gender unemployment gaps in country:

Unemployment rate by race/ethnicity and gender: Anchorage, AK Metro Area, 2012

To explore this data for another region, city, or state, visit the National Equity Atlas.

1.       Click on Indicators in the navigation bar;

2.       Select the Unemployment indicator under Economic Vitality;

3.       Select “By gender” in the breakdowns underneath the chart.

You can also learn more about strategies for addressing inequities in employment and where to find supporting data, and check out “Full Employment for All: The Social and Economic Benefits of Race and Gender Equity in Employment”—a report prepared by PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE).

Chicago Tribune Cites Atlas Data on Changing Demographics and Educational Needs for Digitized Economy

In today’s Chicago Tribune, Mark Caro and Kathy Bergen use data from the National Equity Atlas to describe Chicago’s changing demographics and the widening skills gap the city will face in the coming years (“Chicago's future hinges on retooling schools for digital age”). Four years from now, in 2020, 47 percent of all jobs in the Chicago metro area will require at least an associate degree—but less than a third of Latinos and African Americans in the area have attained that level of education. Because people of color will make up almost half of the region’s population by then, Caro and Bergen explain, city leaders must act now to better meet the education and job-training needs of tomorrow’s workforce. They describe model solutions from around the country, like the innovative curriculum at Dalton High School in Dalton, Georgia, and the apprenticeship program at Siemens’ manufacturing plant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read the story here and then visit the National Equity Atlas to learn more about education requirements and job readiness in your region.

Now on the National Equity Atlas: Median Wages by Gender

 

We are excited to introduce new data on the National Equity Atlas: our median wages indicator is now disaggregated by gender as well as race. Here we will describe what the indicator measures, discuss some related national trends, and show you how to get more information on the gender pay gap and what can be done to address it.

What it measures

This indicator reports the median hourly wages (in 2012 dollars) of full-time wage and salary workers ages 25–64, by gender and race/ethnicity.  As the chart below illustrates, you can compare wages by gender both within and between racial groups, and track trends over time with data going back to 1990.

 

Above: Median Hourly Wage by Race/Ethnicity and Gender, United States

National trends

Nationwide, full-time working women now earn $0.86 for every dollar earned by their male counterparts, compared to $0.71 in 1990; this seems like encouraging progress, but according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, 40 percent of that progress is explained by declining wages among men. The data in the Atlas support this conclusion: while women’s wages have risen by about 6 percent over the last few decades, men’s wages have fallen by nearly 13 percent. In addition, research has shown that the women continue to earn less than men not only because of differences in education, occupation, and family needs, but also as a result of gender discrimination and bias in the workplace. Across the U.S., White women earn about $0.79 for every dollar earned by White men, and the gaps are even larger for most women of color:

As the new data in the Atlas clearly indicate, gender pay gaps can’t be understood in isolation from racial pay gaps. Exploring some national trends can show how these dynamics are interconnected:

  • Overall, men earn more than women in all 50 states, all of the 150 largest metro areas, and 98 of the 100 largest cities. Nationally, men earn more than women within each racial group, and this trend holds true for the majority of metros and cities as well.
  • White women earn more than women of color in all 50 states, all of the 150 largest metros, and all but one of the 100 largest cities (excluding Hialeah City, Laredo City, and  Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME Metro, for which there are insufficient data to make such a comparison). These inequities persist even among women with similar levels of educational attainment. College-educated women of color, for example, earn an average of $23 per hour, compared to $28 per hour for White women with the same level of education.

 

New in the Atlas: City-level data

The greatest gender wage equality has been achieved at the city level, particularly in places where White women earn the most and men of color earn the least compared to White men—meaning the cities with the smallest gender pay gaps have some of the steepest racial pay gaps in the country.

Let’s take a closer look at Los Angeles as an example. In L.A., one of only two cities in the U.S. where women’s median hourly wages are slightly higher than men’s, men of color earn less than half the pay of their White counterparts: 

Above: Median Hourly Wage by Race/Ethnicity and Gender, Los Angeles 

White men are paid dramatically more than all other workers in the city of Los Angeles: White women earn $0.83, women of color earn $0.50, and men of color earn just $0.47 for every dollar earned by White men. Differences in education, occupation, and experience account for some but not all of these disparities; this is why the disaggregated data presented in the National Equity Atlas and other data tools like Clocking In (produced by Race Forward) are so important and powerful: they can help advocates and policymakers push forward creative, multidimensional solutions by showing how economic and social inequities are multilayered.

Strategies for reducing gender wage gaps

It is clear that city, state, and national leaders should focus on strategies that will address both gender and racial wage gaps, such as increasing the minimum wage, enacting living-wage laws, guaranteeing paid sick days, preventing wage theft, ensuring fair scheduling, and targeting economic development and workforce efforts to grow high-opportunity sectors that provide pathways to good jobs for people without four-year degrees. More specifically, strong protections against gender wage discrimination, like California’s new equal pay statute, can help ensure that workers are fairly compensated regardless of their gender.

 

How to get the data for your community

Visit the National Equity Atlas to explore data for your city, region, or state:

1.       Click on Indicators in the navigation bar;

2.       Select the Wages: Median indicator under Economic Vitality;

3.       Select By gender in the breakdowns underneath the chart.

Higher Education Doesn’t Close the Wage Gap for People of Color

In two recent National Journal articles, Matt Vasilogambros uses data from the National Equity Atlas to explore how the wages of workers in America’s 150 largest metro areas differ according to race/ethnicity and educational attainment (here and here). The Atlas provides data on median hourly wages broken down by race/ethnicity and level of education.

Overall, White workers earn more than people of color in every metropolitan area in the country—and the same pattern holds true within each category of educational attainment. (There are a handful of metro areas, most of which have incomplete data on the wages of workers of color, where Asians edge out Whites for the highest average pay.) Vasilogambros notes that “this gap in earn­ings between races and eth­ni­cit­ies is well-doc­u­mented, as are its reas­ons: Work­ing-age people of col­or tend to be young­er, have less ex­per­i­ence in skilled labor, and are less edu­cated than whites.”

While it is true that median hourly wages tend to rise with increasing educational attainment, so do racial wage inequities. According to Valerie Wilson, the dir­ect­or of the Eco­nom­ic Policy In­sti­tute’s Pro­gram on Race, Eth­ni­city, and the Eco­nomy, wage gaps have grown the most for college graduates. Data from the National Equity Atlas show that these hourly wage gaps are greatest (around $7 per hour) in cities like San Jose, San Francisco, and New York, where average levels of education and median wages are much higher. The narrowest gaps—still around $2 per hour—are seen in metro areas where the median pay for all workers is far below the national average. As Wilson puts it, “Things tend to equal out at the bot­tom, un­for­tu­nately.”

Sarah Treuhaft, the dir­ect­or of equit­able growth ini­ti­at­ives at Poli­cyLink, underscores the significance of these wage inequities, which are expected to grow as U.S. demographics continue to change. “It im­pacts the over­all eco­nomy,” says Treuhaft. “If people are not earn­ing as much pay, they have less money to save, to edu­cate their child, to spend in the eco­nomy, which fosters more eco­nom­ic activ­ity. Over­all, that ra­cial gap in wages adds up to a big gap in eco­nom­ic prosper­ity for the re­gion.”

Chicago’s VOYCE Coalition Uses Disaggregated Data to Pass Landmark School Discipline Reform Bill

Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE), a youth-led alliance for education and racial justice in Chicago and greater Illinois, has been lifting up the stories of young people of color who experience overly harsh and racially biased discipline in schools to advocate for more equitable and safer schools for everyone.

Zero tolerance policies that mandate suspension or expulsion for certain offenses emerged in the 1980s, largely in response to rising juvenile arrest rates. The passage of the Gun-Free Schools Act in 1994 required states that wanted access to federal education funding to pass laws mandating yearlong suspensions for students who brought firearms to school. While the original intent of zero-tolerance policies was to make schools safer with a tough-on-crime approach to major offenses, over time, minor violations of school codes of conduct became grounds for suspension or expulsion. One young person from VOYCE reported getting suspended for skipping one class—an extreme disciplinary response that resulted in a disruption of the student’s learning.

Zero-tolerance policies have not only failed to make schools safer but also encouraged punishment practices that prevent youth—especially youth of color—from succeeding at school and being prepared to enter the workforce. 

These practices are not simply ineffective; they have harmful repercussions. School suspensions can disrupt young people’s lives and increase the likelihood that they will be arrested. Even more troubling, the increased likelihood of arrest is highest among youth who do not have significant criminal histories. And youth who do have prior criminal histories are more likely to recidivate while suspended from school. This phenomenon of schoolchildren being channeled into the criminal justice system has been referred to as the school-to-prison pipeline. The suspension of young people—like the member of VOYCE who was suspended for skipping a single class—increases their likelihood of arrest or recidivism, when they should be the classroom.

Recognizing that school suspensions should be the last resort rather than the first response, VOYCE lifted up city- and state-wide data on suspensions, expulsions, and youth arrests to successfully advocate for and pass state legislation mandating the implementation of more fair and effective disciplinary practices instead of zero-tolerance.   

Uncovering racial inequities in school discipline

To reach legislators, VOYCE advocates needed compelling data to communicate the urgency of the harmful outcomes and disparate impact of these punishment practices in their communities. They launched the Campaign for Common Sense Discipline, and analyzing data disaggregated by race and ethnicity was a critical first step of their work.

The coalition analyzed 2012-13 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Chicago Police Department data and found alarming disparities in suspensions and expulsions and widespread criminalization of students of color. Black students were more than 30 times more likely to be expelled and had six-and-a-half times more suspensions than their White peers. Students of color were also far more likely to be criminalized: 96 percent of all arrests were of Black and Latino students.

VOYCE also analyzed U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights data and Illinois State Board of Education data and found that state-wide there were over 272,000 out-of-school suspensions of Illinois students, more than 2,400 expulsions, and more than 10,000 arrests in just one school year. About 13 percent of all students enrolled in Illinois public schools had been suspended, but VOYCE knew that actual suspension rates were much higher because charter schools are not required to report suspension numbers.

VOYCE’s analysis also found that suspensions, expulsions, and arrests added up to a significant loss of time in the classroom for Illinois students: more than one million instructional days per year. This was the data point that really captured the attention of decision-makers, according to Jose Sanchez of VOYCE, because it showed how exclusionary discipline was disrupting student learning and creating an enormous barrier to student success.

Data underpins policy wins for safer and more equitable schools in Illinois

Using data and organized public action to get the attention of local and state decision makers, VOYCE was able to advocate for and successfully pass two bills that will curb the devastating impacts of these discriminatory policies and make public schools safer and more inclusive for all Illinois students. 

SB 2793, the first bill that the Campaign successfully advocated for, was signed into law in August 2014 and requires every school to provide data on out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and removals that is disaggregated by race and ethnicity, gender, age, grade level, and limited English-proficiency status. The availability of good data, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, was an essential ingredient in VOYCE’s second legislative victory: the passage of a bill that made zero-tolerance policies the last resort for school discipline.
 

SB 100 is the most comprehensive attempt by any state to address the causes and dire consequences of the school-to-prison pipeline, and youth advocates from VOYCE played a key role in securing its passage. VOYCE youth drafted a version of the bill in 2012 and sent youth representatives to all legislative hearings about the bill. SB100 passed on May 20, 2015, with broad bipartisan support. It mandates that suspensions and expulsions become the last resort in school discipline, not the first response. The bill also works to make schools more equitable by holding public and charter schools to the same disciplinary standards and by providing academic and behavioral support to struggling students. Instead of excluding students by expelling or suspending them, SB 100 is working to put students back on the road to graduation and a future in the workforce.

Credit: VOYCE Coalition.

With these two victories under their belt, the advocates of VOYCE are currently focusing on developing guidelines for the implementation of SB100. They want to ensure that the resources being shifted away from zero tolerance policies are shifted toward practices that make schools more equitable and safe. Their recommendations will be released in Spring 2016.

The VOYCE coalition’s policy wins exemplify the power of equity data—in the hands of active, engaged communities—to drive positive change in public school systems. The majority of public school students in the United States are now students of color, and their success is critical to the success of their communities and the economy as a whole. Reforming the overly harsh disciplinary policies that have adversely affected students of color for 25 years is a critical step toward ensuring all children can succeed at school and build a strong 21st century workforce. If America’s schools are to open doors of opportunity for everyone, they must have zero tolerance for discriminatory practices. 

Merging Data and Story to Win More Equitable Policies

Original post on NTEN.org

Compelling facts have always been a key ingredient in winning policy campaigns, and the rise of web technology has opened the floodgates for data that would have been out of reach to all but the most dogged advocates just 20 years ago.

But while we are awash in data, it is often like Coleridge’s famous line: “Water, water, everywhere; nor any drop to drink.” The sheer volume of data is overwhelming, and the data that is accessible is often not the right data. Advocates working for equity—just and fair inclusion for all—need data that is broken down by race, age, geography, income, and other dimensions. They also need a way to frame the data—a narrative that explains how and why these inequities matter.

As an organization founded to advance economic and social equity through policy change, PolicyLink is working to fill this need and equip changemakers with a data-backed narrative to help them win.

Equity Is the Superior Growth Model

About five years ago, Angela Glover Blackwell, the founder and CEO PolicyLink, saw the kernels of a new and powerful narrative for equity advocates. The 2010 Census results were out and they showed that the country was continuing to grow more diverse. Meanwhile, the Occupy Wall Street movement was bringing inequality to the public’s attention and new research was showing how rising inequality was a risk not just for those being left behind, but for the growth and prosperity of entire regions and nations.

Angela wove these threads together into a new story about the centrality of racial and economic inclusion not only as a moral imperative—which it continues to be—but as an economic one. America is bolting toward having a multiracial, people-of-color majority within just a few decades. Our growing, diverse workforce and population is a tremendous asset in the global economy—one that can only be fully manifested if people of color can access the resources and opportunities they need to participate in and contribute to growth and democracy. Dismantling lingering racial barriers and creating pathways to educational and economic security and success is critical to their future and the future of their communities and the country as a whole. The take-home is clear—equity is the superior growth model.

Building a Data-Backed Narrative

Data was at the heart of this framing from the beginning. Recognizing the importance of disaggregated and regularly updated data to keep the message fresh and give it legs, PolicyLink joined forces with the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at the University of Southern California (PERE). PERE is a research and policy shop headed by Dr. Manuel Pastor who is a prominent researcher, speaker, and writer on issues of changing demographics, racial equity, and the economy. PERE conducts all kinds of research, but our partnership drew on their deep-bench strength in quantitative research and the development, maintenance, and facility with large datasets.

Our team worked together to produce a framing paper, America’s Tomorrow: Equity Is the Superior Growth Model (PDF), that bolstered the narrative with powerful statistics, maps, and charts and shared it with our networks of advocates and the broader world.

Going Local: Tailoring the Narrative to Regional Realities

The national story was critical for starting this narrative shift work, but we knew that advocates and policymakers needed data for their own community to put it to use. PERE painstakingly built the data infrastructure to make that possible, drawing from multiple data sources including historical economic data and demographic projections, aligning this data to consistently-defined boundaries for 202 geographies: the 150 largest regions, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States as a whole.

Equipped with this data, we began working with collaborations of local leaders who were developing regional sustainability plans. In about a dozen diverse counties, regions, and states, we developed Equity Profiles that document their changing demographics and performance on a host of equity indicators. These profiles helped these changemakers understand the trends in their communities, link these trends to the experiences of their constituents and community members, and develop shared narratives about how and why equity and inclusion mattered to their economic futures.

From the Heartland metros of Omaha and Kansas City to diverse regions like Miami and Houston, demographic change was a salient issue. Even in predominantly-White communities, Latinos, Asians, African Americans and other communities of color are usually driving population growth, and breathing new life into disinvested commercial corridors. Combining the demographic data with metrics showing how different groups are excelling—or in many cases, being left behind—on key indicators of economic success, health, education, and more was a good starting point for having productive local discussions about race, equity, and opportunity.

Coming together around the data helped these collaborations grow stronger, identify areas of focus, and bring on new partners. In Rhode Island, the profile led directly to policy action. After seeing how communities of color were responsible for all of the state’s population growth yet faced major barriers to economic opportunity, then-Governor Chafee opened a new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Opportunity focused on inclusive hiring and contracting in government jobs.

The local data strengthened our own advocacy as well. In California, the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, which we coordinate, married economic imperative data and messaging with the voices of youth leaders to successfully win a slate of state policies that reform harmful “zero tolerance” school discipline approaches, invest in career pathways for men returning from prison, and more. As youth advocate Angel Diaz put it, “If adults look at young people as assets to be developed instead of problems to solve, we can change the future.” We found that the mix of data, narrative, and testimonials is a potent advocacy tool.

Democratizing Data via the National Equity Atlas

From the beginning, our goal was to democratize this data and make it widely available to advocates and policymakers. Released last October, the National Equity Atlas is a one-of-a-kind resource to track, measure, and make the case for inclusive growth at the local, state, and national level.

The Atlas makes detailed data disaggregated by race, nativity, education, income, and more available through a user-friendly interface. At the click of a button, you can access 29 field-tested indicators of demographic change, racial and economic inclusion, and the economic benefits of equity for the 202 geographies in our database. The “equity is the superior growth model” narrative is embedded throughout the site, providing context for how the data matters for equitable growth, along with policy ideas, real-world examples, and links to additional data and policy resources

The Atlas is also a living resource, and next week we will be adding data for the 100 largest cities to the site (join us for the release webinar), and more indicators and data cuts (including disaggregating the Asian population) are in the works.

Data itself is not social change. But data combined with a story can power the bolder, smarter, more targeted strategies that communities need to leverage their increasing diversity as an asset and secure a bright economic future for all of their residents.

We're Hiring: Research Associate, Equitable Economy/National Equity Atlas (Oakland, CA)

PolicyLink is working to advance policies and strategies to build an equitable economy — one in which everyone can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. In 2010, we formed a formal research partnership with the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at the University of Southern California to provide equity advocates, practitioners, and policymakers with clear, convincing data and cutting-edge analyses to make the case that equity is both a moral imperative and the key to economic prosperity in their own communities and nationwide. In October 2014, we released the National Equity Atlas, a unique online resource to track and measure data, and to make the case for equity in the largest 150 regions, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States as a whole. The Atlas democratizes data, providing those working to build stronger and more inclusive local economies with essential information on demographic change, racial inclusion, and the economic benefits of equity through a user-friendly interface. Tens of thousands of people are now using this tool and our team is working to continue to evolve this living resource to make it an even more useful and powerful tool. 

PolicyLink is seeking a Research Associate to join our team and partnership. The ideal candidate is passionate about producing data and research that is relevant and actionable for those working on the frontlines to advance racial economic inclusion. He or she is skilled at analyzing data, producing compelling data displays and maps, and writing data analyses in an engaging and accessible way — and is looking for an opportunity to further grow skills and leadership by joining our dynamic team.
 

Position Responsibilities

  • Conduct quantitative and qualitative research and contribute writing to research briefs, analyses, and articles, including comparative analyses and equity profiles/research reports focused on particular regions/communities.
  • Develop creative solutions to communicate complex data and research findings, including through data visualizations (graphs, charts, and maps), presentations, and websites.
  • Participate in the development of new research and analyses and the selection of new indicators to incorporate into the Atlas.
  • Coordinate the development and maintenance of the National Equity Atlas site among our team and the consultants who design and manage the website.
  • Participate in developing and implementing outreach and dissemination strategies, including webinars.
  • Conduct trainings and presentations on the National Equity Atlas.
  • Stay current with pertinent literature, developments, and data visualizations around issues of demographic change, inequality, mobility, and equitable growth.
  • Occasionally conduct short-term data and mapping analyses for other teams at PolicyLink.
  • The position may involve travel.

 

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in urban planning, community development, economics, public policy, public health, or related social science (e.g., political science, sociology).
  • Two years of relevant work experience conducting research to support policy development, advocacy, or organizing.
  • Excellent writing and research skills.
  • Experience with data analysis and quantitative research, including statistical analysis and spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
  • Ability to translate complex data and analyses for mainstream audiences, including facility with using Excel for data analysis and the generation of graphs and charts.
  • Self-starter with good time management skills and ability to effectively work on multiple projects.
  • Experience working with low-income communities of color and familiarity with public policy and the legislative process are desirable.

 

How to Apply

Email Résumé and Cover Letter tojobs@policylink.org (include subject line: “[Your Name] (Research Associate-Equitable Economy/National Equity Atlas)

OR fax to (510) 663-4323

OR mail to:
PolicyLink –Search Committee (Research Associate-Equitable Economy/National Equity Atlas)
1438 Webster Street, Suite 303
Oakland, CA 94612

Position open until filled.

Please note: No phone calls please. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Excellent benefits including paid vacation, health, vision and dental insurance, and 401(k) retirement plan.

PolicyLink is committed to maintaining a diverse, multicultural working environment.

Propelled by New Data, Boston Takes Steps to Build Wealth of All Residents

In the face of widening inequality and persistent racial economic gaps, Mayor Marty Walsh is implementing a new approach to achieving shared economic prosperity in Boston. Bolstered by the support of a powerful advocacy coalition and detailed data on financial inclusion, in 2014 Mayor Walsh opened a new Office of Financial Empowerment. “Whatever it is that we’ve been doing for the past 10 to 20 years may have helped,” program director Trinh Nguyen told Next City, “but it’s not denting inequality and access.” The Office of Financial Empowerment aims to move the city forward by providing financial empowerment services to those who need them most: low and middle-income Bostonians who’ve not benefited from recent growth.

Financial vulnerability is widespread and bad for Boston’s economic future

Family Assets Count, a coalition of local financial empowerment advocates along with national institutions CFED and Citi community development worked to bring financial security and detailed data on financial instability across Boston’s diverse communities to the city’s attention. Family Assets Count defines financial instability as the inability to cover basic expenses for three months after a major life disruption like a job loss or health crisis. An inability to save and invest in the future is not only harmful for individual families, it contributes to the rising inequality that is threatening sustained economic prosperity.

The coalition uses data from the CFED Assets and Local Opportunity Center to provide local estimates of financial vulnerability and catalyze new conversations about financial security in cities across the country. They provide two primary measures of financial instability: liquid asset poverty and asset poverty. A family is liquid asset poor if they don’t have enough in their savings to live above the poverty line for three months; they are asset poor if they don’t have enough net worth to live above the poverty line for three months.  

Credit: Family Assets Count/Financial Insecurity in Boston Data Profile

Family Assets Count, in partnership with the Midas Collaborative (a statewide asset-building organization), examined the data and found that financial insecurity in Boston is widespread. While the traditional income-based poverty measure estimates that 17 percent of Bostonians live below the poverty line, this measurement underestimates the 46 percent of Boston residents who are vulnerable to financial collapse should they experience normal life disruptions (download the Family Assets Count data profile of Boston). 

The prevalence of liquid asset poverty in Boston closely resembles national trends: an estimated 45 percent of households are liquid asset poor. When almost half of families don’t have savings, they can’t invest in their children’s education or their own retirement. Such anemic investment in the future undermines economic growth and prosperity — in Boston and in cities across the country.

While Bostonians of all levels of educational attainment experience financial insecurity, those without college degrees are much more likely to be financially insecure. About seven of every 10 residents without more than a high school degree are liquid asset poor compared with 25 percent of those with bachelor’s degrees.

Asset Poverty by Education

Credit: Family Assets Count/Financial Insecurity in Boston Data Profile

Demographic shifts in Boston make financial inclusion an economic imperative

The City of Boston has undergone a profound demographic shift over the past several decades and is now a majority people-of-color city. Yet Boston’s communities of color are far more likely to be financially insecure: 69 percent of Black households and 75 percent of Latino households are liquid asset poor compared with 29 percent of Whites. Latinos are the fastest-growing population in the city but they also have the highest rates of liquid asset poverty at 75 percent. Without strong and effective financial inclusion strategies, Boston’s economic future looks bleak.

Asset poverty by Race & Ethnicity

Credit: Family Assets Count/Financial Insecurity in Boston Data Profile

Mayor Walsh leads on financial inclusion

Given Boston’s growing economy, creating pathways to opportunity and prosperity for the 46 percent of Bostonians who are financially insecure is an economic and moral imperative. In an interview with WBUR, one of Boston’s National Public Radio news stations, Mayor Walsh said: “We have a city that is doing very well [and] a lot of people are doing well in our city, but we still have half our residents that aren’t and we have to really try and assist them and help them prosper during these good economic times.” 

The Office launched three Financial Opportunity Centers in partnership with United Way and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). These centers provide a range of services including: financial coaching, job search and advancement support, tax filing support, and help applying for benefits. Two similar centers, run by United Way, demonstrated significant results last year. According to the City of Boston, “77 percent of clients at those centers who completed pre- and post-assessments reported increases in one or more of the following measures: net income, net worth, or credit score.”

The power of data in the hands of a strong coalition

Financial insecurity data can be paradigm-shifting for communities and policymakers, like Mayor Walsh, who want prosperity for all but don’t have a clear picture of who’s being left out and which communities need to be lifted up to get there. Community advocates in the Midas Collaborative have been working toward equitable growth and financial security for all residents knowing full well the extent of the city’s existing inequities. The Family Assets Count data helped make the problem urgent and undeniable. Margaret Miley, executive director of the Midas Collaborative, said “the data provided an opportunity to frame the urgency of the problem and to focus a broad group of stakeholders for action.”

CFED Project Director Solana Rice said that Family Assets Count data profiles, like the profile of Boston, create “an opportunity for our partners to reframe and reposition themselves for new partnerships.” The Midas collaborative and Family Assets Count found a new partner in Mayor Walsh who cited the Family Assets Count data in his announcement of the office. You can watch a video about how partners lifted up data to influence Boston’s financial inclusion strategy [here].

Following in Boston’s lead, financial inclusion strategies are ramping up across the country. Family Assets Count is partnering with organizations in nine other cities to implement some of these municipal strategies for financial security, including: Chicago, Houston, Miami, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Oakland, the Bronx (New York City), and Newark. In addition to working closely with these 10 cities over the next two years, Family Assets Count features estimates of financial inclusion for thousands of cities and counties on their online mapping tool — find out how your city is doing [here].

Latino Education Gaps in Metros Pose Challenges for Growth and Prosperity

In “The Five U.S. Cities with the Most Educated Latinos,” National Journal writer Janie Boschma describes how many regions are failing to prepare their fast-growing Latino populations for the jobs of the future. This was the fourth piece in the National Journal’s series on educational equity drawing from National Equity Atlas data.

Having a bachelor’s degree (BA) is becoming increasingly important as the economy shifts towards analytical work – yet Latinos lag far behind in terms of college attainment. Even in Miami, the city with the highest bachelor’s degree attainment for Latinos, there is still a 16-percentage point gap between Latino and White achievement.

All five cities with the lowest rankings for Latino BA attainment are in California, and four of them are in the Central Valley. They include: Bakersfield, CA (5 percent), Visalia, CA (6 percent), Salinas, CA (7 percent), Stockton, CA (7 percent) and Modesto, CA (7 percent). These statistics are particularly dire given the size of the Latino population: 61 percent of Bakersfield’s residents are Latino, for example.

Michele Siqueiros, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, explains that California is: “on track to under-produce the number of graduates [they] need for the state's workforce and economy. We do absolutely need to close gaps that exist for students of color in our state." 

Credit: Janie Boschma/National Journal Series

The top five cities with the highest percent of Latinos with a bachelor’s degree are: Miami, FL (26 percent), Washington DC (23 percent), Orlando, FL (20 percent), Boston, MA (20 percent), San Francisco, CA (18 percent). 

Credit: Janie Boschma/National Journal Series

Education professionals in Miami emphasized the importance of a successful and supportive adult Latino population that give youth hope of success after school. A significant number of Latino teachers, for example, act as mentors to Latino youth. As more Latino youth are pursuing post-secondary education, the City is also focusing on improving completion rates. Joaquin Martinez, associate provost for student achievement at Miami Dade College, told the National Journal that encouraging students to declare a major improves their likelihood of graduating. Since beginning work with students, the number of undeclared majors dropped from 44 percent to just under 5 percent.

While the five metros with the highest rate of bachelor’s degree attainment are doing much better than the Central Valley, they still aren’t doing enough to provide educational opportunities to their Latino population, putting their future economic prosperity at risk.

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