July 30, 2024 / Equity

Over the past 15 years, the Black-white gap in upward economic mobility shrank by 27%Image

In their new study (Chetty, Dobbie, Goldman, Porter, Yang), analyze changes in economic opportunity using new data on 57 million children born between 1978 and 1992 from anonymized Census and tax records. Although substantial racial gaps persist, we find rapid changes in the size of these gaps: over the past 15 years, the Black-white gap in upward economic mobility shrank by 27%. During the same period, class gaps expanded.

Some key insights:

  • The Black-white gap in upward mobility shrank significantly in the past 15 years.
  • In areas where Black children’s outcomes improved the most, white children also did relatively better.
  • Divergent trends in mobility by race and class were driven by changes in the communities in which children grew up, as measured by parental employment rates.
  • Social interactions are central to changing opportunity: children’s outcomes are shaped by parental employment rates of peers with whom they interact most.

Read the full report here.

June 26, 2024 / Health, Safety

Firearm violence was declared as a public health crisis – US Surgeon General ReportImage

This week, the US Surgeon General declared Firearm Violence a Public Health Crisis. The 40-page report outlines the scope of firearm violence and provides recommendations on firearm Risk reduction, as well as violence prevention strategies.

Here are some of the takeaways:

  • Firearm-related injuries have been the leading cause of death for children and adolescents since 2020.
  • The rate of firearm-related suicide increased by 20% across the population between 2012 and 2022, with the highest increase among younger people.
  • In 2015, the overall firearm-related death rate was 11.4 times higher in the U.S. compared to 28 other high-income nations.
  • More than three-quarters of adults (79%) in the U.S. report experiencing stress from the possibility of a mass shooting, and one in three adults (33%) say fear prevents them from going to certain places or events.
  • Local exposure to fatal school shootings is associated with a 21.4% increase in youth antidepressant use in the following 2 years.
  • About 56% of unintentional firearm deaths among children and adolescents between 2003 and 2021 happened in their own homes.

Click here to read the full report with more insights and information about firearm violence in the U.S.

June 26, 2024 / Equity, General

Less than 50% of prominent surveys collect any Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity dataImage

Last month, our partners from New Haven released their report “Invisible in Data, Excluded from Research,” showcasing the limited availability of disaggregated sexual orientation and gender identity data (SOGI).

Nationwide, the LGBTQ+ community is severely underrepresented in data and, therefore, missing from important conversations:

  • The American Community Survey just began collecting data on same-sex couples in 2019.
  • The Census does not ask questions about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
  • Less than 50% of prominent public and private surveys collect any Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity data.
  • When data is collected, it is limited and fails to capture entire swaths of the LGBTQ community. Often, non-binary, trans, and two-spirit are left out as options altogether.

The lack of data collected about LGBTQ+ people and issues materially impacts policy decisions and the (re)distribution of resources.

This is particularly relevant considering the hostile environment in which we currently live, where a record-breaking 600 anti-trans bills were introduced across 49 states in 2023 alone.

Read the full report here.

May 20, 2024 / Equity

Despite Atlanta’s diversity, there’s still a clear divide in access to opportunity between communitiesImage

The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the latest Changing the Odds report, showcasing the progress the city of Atlanta has made but also the disproportionate challenges Black Atlantans face in their neighborhoods, schools and access to economic opportunity, impeding their ability to thrive in a rapidly growing city.

Some findings:

  • Although increasingly diverse, metro Atlanta shows a clear divide in access to opportunity between wealthier, majority-white communities and lower-income communities where the majority of residents are black.
  • While the employment rate for all Atlantans has increased, the unemployment rate for Black residents is three times higher than that of white residents.
  • Citywide alliances helped improve children’s learning and well-being, allowing Atlanta providers to retain and slightly expand childcare capacity between 2019 and 2022.

Explore Atlanta’s data landscape and find recommendations to address racial disparities and support thriving communities by reading the full report here.

May 20, 2024 / Basic Needs, Environment

Energy insecurity disproportionately affects communities of color in the Southeast statesImage

Earlier this month, the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) Research team published the Energy Insecurity StoryMap. The project explores the intricate connections between energy, housing, and financial policies contributing to disparities in our communities.

Some highlights:

  • The Southeast has the lowest electric rates in the contiguous United States but the greatest proportion of energy-insecure households.
  • Communities of color still lack of equal participation in energy decision-making processes and access to clean and affordable sources of energy.
  • Research shows that redlined areas still have higher energy use intensity, less access to green space, higher urban temperatures, increased density of oil and gas wells, and more fossil fuel power plants.

Explore the full StoryMap here.

April 27, 2024 / Commuting

Only 10% of trips in Atlanta occur within a 15-minute radiusImage

Recently, a group of researchers published a study analyzing mobile-phone location data for 40 million Americans, measuring how often a neighborhood’s residents carry out essential trips within a quarter-hour radius.

The general results show that the median resident makes only 14% of their consumption trips within a 15-minute walking radius.

The study offers insights by region and state across the country. In Atlanta, only 10% of trips occur within a 15-minute radius.

Read more about the study here.

April 27, 2024 / Housing

KB: Approximately 715K housing units should be built in the next decade in GeorgiaImage

Enterprise Community Partners, in partnership with Georgia Advancing Communities Together and the Center for Community Progress, engaged KB Advisory Group to analyze trends related to housing underproduction and the increasing gap between working wages and home prices to make the case for investing in Georgia’s State Housing Trust Fund for the homeless and local housing trust funds.

Some key takeaways from the study:

  • Over half a million Georgia households are severely cost-burdened.
  • Black households pay a higher percentage of their household income on housing and housing-related expenses than White households.
  • Limited availability of housing options that are attainable at the wages earned by entry-level wage workers.
  • An estimated 715,000 housing units should be built in the next decade to accommodate future population growth, compensate for years of undersupply, and modernize the housing stock.
  • The state would see billions in added value, local income, and local taxes and hundreds of thousands of local jobs by reaching this goal.

Read the full report here.

March 27, 2024 / Equity, Workforce

Is Metro Atlanta bridging the gender pay gap?Image

This month, the Research and Analytics Division of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) published an analysis of the gender pay gap in Metro Atlanta using 1-year estimates from the American Community Survey, which the Census Bureau has produced for 2005 to 2022.

Here are some of the findings:

  1. Women in metro Atlanta earn about 82 cents on the dollar compared with their male counterparts.
  2. Metro Atlanta has the 7th largest gender pay gap among the twenty largest metros in the United States.
  3. The gender gap has reduced by three cents from 21.2 cents in 2005 to 18 cents in 2022. Thus, while the gap has narrowed slightly over the last decade and a half, it remains quite wide.
  4. Disparities are lowest among protective service occupations (where women earn 93.3 cents on the dollar) and highest among health practitioners (where women earn only 65.6 cents on the dollar)—the wage gap is nearly 28 cents higher in those health occupations.

Read the full analysis in the 33°n blog post here.

March 22, 2024 / Equity, Workforce

Black women are crowded out of higher paying rolesImage

A new report by the Urban Institute explores how Black women are represented in vulnerable work. This includes work with less pay, benefits, and hours and alternative work arrangements like independent contracting, contract work, temp agency work, and on-call/day work.

Some key findings are: 

  • Black women are crowded out of higher-paying roles in comparison to white men, white women, and Black men.
  • Black women are underrepresented in occupations with higher rates of employer-sponsored health insurance as compared with white men but overrepresented in occupations with higher retirement coverage rates in comparison with white women.
  • Black women are also crowded into occupations that have fewer hours compared with Black men and white men.
  • When the share of temp agency workers in occupations—an arrangement with the lowest benefit rates and pay—increases, the representation of Black women increases, compared to white men.

This report is part of Urban’s Financial Well-Being Data Hub, which seeks to inform solutions to advance equity and improve households’ financial security.

Read the full report here.

February 28, 2024 / Environment

Since 2020, weather and climate disaster damages costed Georgians over $500 million per million residentsImage

The January 2024 Pathways to Prosperity Report highlights both the impacts of climate change and the potential for federal investments to target the inequities these impacts create and compound in southern states.

Here are some of the climate insights for Georgia:

  • 31 percent of Georgians live in counties that have experienced disasters since 2020.
  • From 2020-2023, Georgians experienced over $500 million in weather and climate disaster damages per million residents.
  • The average cost of flood insurance in Georgia will be $1,332 once full-risk prices are completely implemented–– a 68% increase from what policyholders currently pay.

The report also provides key data about civic engagement, health, housing, and infrastructure.

See the full publication and download the data here.

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.

January 12, 2024 / Health, Hispanic

Breaking access barriers is key to address health concerns of Latinos in GeorgiaImage

The Latino Community Fund of Georgia (LCF) published a thorough report on the health conditions of the Latino community in the state. The publication uses data to provide a detailed view into the health status of the community in different areas, including chronic disease, mental health, and maternal and child health.

Key findings:

  • Immigration status and lack of health insurance are primary factors limiting access to preventive and early intervention services for Hispanics/Latinos.
  • Diabetes and Hypertension among Hispanics/Latinos in Georgia exceeds the state average.
  • Special attention is needed for farmworkers and Mayan communities in Georgia, as the lack of baseline health information.
  • Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are a serious concern for Hispanics/Latinos.
  • The Hispanic/Latino community in Georgia faces high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity and lower rates of prenatal care.
  • Recent years have seen a decline in the life expectancy of the Hispanic/Latino community, particularly due to the impact of COVID-19.
  • Strong community networks offer valuable opportunities for health workers and community workers to expand education and vetted, credible health information for Hispanics/Latinos.
  • Hispanics/Latinos have a very high rate of workforce participation and entrepreneurship. However, 1 in 6 Latinos lives in poverty.

Read the full report here.

January 12, 2024 / Housing

Rural counties have rates of residential vacancy from 2 percent to as a high as 32 percentImage

In their recent policy brief, State of Vacant Properties in Rural Georgia, the Center for Community Progress identifies general trends in residential vacancy and distressed properties across rural counties in Georgia to provide a statewide baseline on the quantity and condition of these types of properties.

Key takeaways:

  • Eighty-five rural counties had an “Other” vacant rate above 8 percent in 2017-2021 – “Other” vacant is a term used by the Census to categorize units that are neither being held for future occupancy nor only used seasonally.
  • Vacancies disproportionately impact black households. Rural counties with the highest Black population percentage corresponded with higher vacancy rates in 2017-2021.
  • Telfair County has the highest rate of residential vacancy in rural Georgia, with 32%.
  • Rural counties are disproportionately impacted by negative health factors. In Georgia, rural counties make up the first 33 ranked lowest for health factors according to the 2023 County Health Rankings. These health factors include physical environment and socioeconomic factors.

See the full publication here.

December 15, 2023 / Basic Needs, Early Childhood, Education, Equity

There are 79 neighborhoods throughout Greater Atlanta with low and declining child well-beingImage

A few months ago, United Way of Greater Atlanta published the 2023 update of their Child Well-being Index. This data serves as a diagnostic tool to tell where each neighborhood is progressing toward saying that “all the children are well” and to guide how United Way directs its resources to most effectively improve child well-being and transform lives for the better.

Here are some key insights from this year’s update:

  • There are 79 neighborhoods throughout Greater Atlanta with low and declining child well-being.
  • Nearly 500,000 of Greater Atlanta’s 1.2 million children and youth live in high-need areas.
  • Data also shows that low child well-being scores disproportionately impact BIPOC populations.
  • Nearly 14,000 youth are not connected to school or work.
  • The overall regional score remained stable compared to 2018 – largely due to public and private funding and resources to offset damage from the pandemic. However, it is important to mention that since the data for the 2023 index scores was collected, these programs have largely ended.

Read the full report here.

November 28, 2023 / Commuting, Equity

Propel ATL’s ’38 Reasons Why’ report on 2022 pedestrian deaths within the city limitsImage

The new report, “38 Reasons Why,” published by Propel ATL, analyzes the 38 pedestrian deaths reported within city limits in 2022, the last year for which complete data is available.

Key takeaways:

  • The 38 pedestrian deaths in 2022 represent an increase of 23% over 2021 and 52% over 2020.
  • Over two-thirds of pedestrian fatalities occurred in majority-Black neighborhoods (25 out of 38 fatalities).
  • 63% of pedestrian fatalities occurred on roadways that didn’t have sidewalks, and 38% of bicycle and pedestrian crashes occurred on state routes that tend to lack sidewalks and bike lanes.
  • 29% of bicycle and pedestrian crashes were hit-and-runs.

“These trends highlight a glaring disparity in Atlanta’s pedestrian safety: People walking in Black neighborhoods or in low-income communities are more likely to lose their lives to traffic violence. These same neighborhoods also tend to have fewer roadway features like sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes that keep people safe when traveling outside of cars”, the report says.

See the full Story Map here.

November 28, 2023 / Basic Needs, Eviction, Housing

ULI Atlanta’s ‘Housing at its Core’ Study 2023 updateImage

ULI Atlanta’s housing study was first commissioned in 2017 and released in 2018 to understand the depth and scale of the affordable housing issue across the Atlanta region. The study sought to define the problem in both market and financial terms that appealed to practitioners and developers. The 2023 updated analysis highlights the region’s current challenges in providing affordable housing for all Atlanta regional households.

Some key takeaways:

  • Since 2018, all 5-County core households area grew by 9%. Growth in affordable cost-burdened households outpaced overall household growth – increasing 15%
  • The cost to subsidize the 390,000 households within the region who are currently cost-burdened and making at or below 80% AMI in the 5-County area is $270 million per month.
  • There is currently no ZIP code in the core counties where someone earning 80% or less than the area median income (AMI) can purchase a home at the median income price.

The study defines some of the problems in the affordability crisis to be: rents and home prices growing faster than incomes, cost burden persisting across the five counties, transportation remaining a significant cost, and inequity inhibiting housing choices.

Read the full report here