February 28, 2024 / General, Hispanic, Housing

New ARC 2050 Population Forecast: Diversity will drive the region’s growthImage

This month, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) published the Series 17 small-area forecasts to support the newly adopted Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). This report provides population forecasts down to the census tract level, and with race and age data at the county level.

Here are the highlights:

  • Diversity will drive the region’s growth: Hispanic and Latino residents are forecast to account for 21% of the region’s population in 2050, compared to 12% today
  • The region’s population of older adults will grow at a fast rate: In 2050, nearly 12% of the region’s population will be aged 75 or older, compared to 5% today.
  • Growth to remain strong, but slower than previously forecast: The new 2050 population forecast is about 700,000 below what was forecast in the previous series adopted in 2020.
  • Fastest growth to occur in outer counties of the 21-county region: Forsyth (79%), Barrow (71%), Paulding (60%), Cherokee (53%), Walton (51%), and Coweta (51%).
  • There will still be a strong population growth in the region’s core, too: The region’s five core counties are forecast to add a total of 812,000 people by 2050, representing nearly half of the region’s total growth.
  • Employment in the Professional, Business and Technical Services sector will pace job growth in the region.

See the full report here.

January 19, 2024 / General

Although most crime is down in Atlanta, perceptions are lagging behindImage

Last year’s Metro Atlanta Speaks Survey (MAS) continued to find that crime was the #1 concern for Atlanta residents. However, data from the Atlanta Police Department’s (APD) Open Data Portal helps understand the city’s crime statistics.

Here are the key takeaways from the most recent update of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) crime Tableau dashboard:

  • The violent crime rate hasn’t exceeded its 2017 level and has since dropped to a new historic low in 2023 – violent crime rates are at or near their historic lows in almost every NPU.
  • The rate of homicide incidents has dropped sharply year over year and is now at a level we have not seen since before the start of the pandemic – the homicide incident rate dropped in 19 of Atlanta’s 25 NPUs.
  • Despite the significant year-on-year decline, the homicide rate for 2023 was still higher than that observed during the 2010s.
  • While violent crimes were becoming less frequent over time, it was increasingly likely that a violent crime would turn deadly—likely a function of the type of weapon used.
  • Property crime, which had been in steady decline until 2021, had a larger uptick in 2023 than in 2022 – the reason was a sharp rise in auto theft rates, while burglary and larceny rates were basically flat.

Read the full post here.

March 1, 2023 / Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, Equity, General, Health, Housing, Policy, Workforce

The State of Black GeorgiaImage

“The State of Black Georgia is an educational tool and call to action for Black Georgians, public and private sector stakeholders and the general public that can inform civic engagement, non-profit organizations, elected officials, businesses, policy makers, grass roots organizations, philanthropists, faith-based organizations, researchers, advocates, and other key stakeholders. Together, we can promote inclusive economic development, influential partnerships, and implementation of best practice models that foster overall improvement in conditions for Georgia’s Black residents and the state as a whole.”

From the report:

  • The median wealth of Blacks will fall to zero by 2053 if no action is taken.
  • The percentage of Georgia Black students failing to read at third-grade level was 36%, a 25%
  • increase over the pandemic.
  • Approximately 50% of the inmates admitted in the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2021
  • were Black, yet Black Georgians make up 32% of the State’s population.
  • Fifty-four percent of infant deaths were Black children.
August 18, 2022 / General

Historical context increases belief in racial and structural inequities and decreases racial resentmentInsight

New research published this month found evidence that sharing historical context increased beliefs that (1) racial inequities exist and (2) that they are structural (not individual) in nature. It was most effective among White independents and Republicans. This research supports the importance of including historical narrative along with data and narratives when describing and addressing systemic inequities.

The housing treatment increased belief in racial inequality’s existence and belief in discrimination against African Americans as a structural cause of racial inequality among both white Independents and Republicans, but decreased racial resentment only among white Independents (and not white Republicans). By contrast, among white Republicans, the jobs treatment decreased racial resentment and increased belief in discrimination and a lack of educational opportunities among African Americans as causes of racial inequality, but did not increase belief in the existence of racial inequality itself.

Taken together, these results provide evidence that information about the historical roots of contemporary racial inequality can in fact shape racial beliefs. In particular, we found that white respondents in the treatment conditions, rather than engaging in motivated reasoning and exhibiting divergent beliefs, seem to update their beliefs in the direction of the information they receive about the existence of racial inequality and the extent to which it is caused by structural factors when presented with specific information about past discriminatory policies.

July 10, 2022 / General

Debt disparities contribute to the racial wealth gapImage

Through June 2022, an Urban Institute analysis found significant racial and geographic disparities in debt—a factor that contributes to the wealth gap. According to the data, debt and the racial gap are higher in Georgia than the national average. The disparity is significantly higher in several Metro Atlanta counties.

 

June 8, 2022 / General

The nonprofit sector has changed over the last two years. Here’s how much.Insight

The Nonprofit Finance Fund surveyed 1,100 nonprofit leaders about the impact of the last two years on their organizations.

  • 71% of survey respondents saw an increase in service demand during the pandemic
  • Almost twice as many Black-led organizations (49%) were impacted a great deal by the events surrounding the murder of George Floyd versus all organizations (28%)
  • 88% of nonprofits changed the way they work
  • 51% think changes are permanent
  • The top three staffing challenges were employing enough staff to do all the work (55%), offering competitive pay (51%), and staff burnout (36%)

Read the full findings of NFF’s 2022 State of the Nonprofit Sector report.