Soe 2017 update_executivesummary

In 2011 MAPC released The State of Equity in Metro Boston, an inventory of cross-
sectoral indicators that measured inequity in the region through the various stages
of life, from birth to old age. That report sparked a robust public conversation
about this critical topic and informed collaborative regional efforts to address
the disparities that were documented. Now—in 2017—this report updates those
measures, where possible, and provides new indicators to give a more current
picture of disparities and opportunity.
The update shows that in recent years the region has made some progress in
closing critical gaps, especially those facing the region’s youngest residents,
though large disparities remain. Children of color are born healthier and are seeing
better educational outcomes than they did just five years ago. Gaps in test scores,
exclusionary discipline, graduation rates, college attendance, and incarceration
rates are decreasing. Yet, for many indicators, little progress has been made in
closing gaps: people of color (both children and adults, particularly Black and
Latino) are disproportionately affected by asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and
other health burdens; labor force participation rates are falling for workers
without a college degree; and unemployment rates are substantially higher
for workers with disabilities, and for those who are Black and Latino. Some of
these key findings are summarized in this document, with full details, data, and
citations available in the online report at www.regionalindicators.org.
It is also abundantly clear that the conditions which contribute to inequity are
persisting or becoming more severe: discrimination, whether overt or systemic,
continues to limit opportunity for some residents; income and wealth disparity
is increasing, dimming the prospects for upward mobility; and residential
segregation, especially segregation by income, is becoming more severe,
contributing to intergenerational poverty. To make progress, the region must act
with even more urgency to address the observed health, educational, economic,
and quality of life disparities documented here. If we hope to achieve these
changes, the region must also tackle income inequality and segregation through
economic, housing, and land use policies.
www.regionalindicators.org
METRO BOSTON REGIONAL INDICATORS
STATE OF EQUITY
2017 UPDATE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2017 | STATE OF EQUITY UPDATE
2 | regionalindicators.org
Acknowlegements
Authors | Genea Foster, Kate Ito, Jessie Partridge, Tim Reardon
Contributors | Andres Achury, Susan Brunton, Matt Gardner, Cortni Kerr, Sarah Philbrick, Andrea Wang
Director of Data Services | Tim Reardon
Director of Strategic Initiatives | Eric Hove
Director of Public Health | Barry Keppard
Executive Director of MAPC | Marc Draisen
Funded by the Barr Foundation
Advisory Group | Mariana Arcaya, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning; David Harris, Harvard Law
School Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Racial Justice; Lisa Jacobson, Barr Foundation; Kim Janey,
Massachusetts Advocates for Children; Richard Juang, Alternatives for Community and Environment; Penn Loh,
Tufts University Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning; Chris Mancini, Groundwork Somerville; Marvin
Martin, Action for Regional Equity; Nancy McArdle, diversitydata.org at Brandeis Institute for Child, Youth and
Family Policy; Elizabeth Pimentel, City of Boston; Rebecca Shuster, Boston Public Schools; Stacy Thompson,
Livable Streets Alliance; Courtland Townes III, Boston Center for Independent Living; W. W. Sanouri Ursprung,
Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Anise Vance and Luc Schuster, The Boston Indicators Project at
the Boston Foundation
February 2017

MAPC’s regional plan MetroFuture: Making a Greater Boston Region envisions a
sustainable, prosperous, and equitable future for the region. In this vision, equity
means that every person has a shot at growing up healthy, receiving a quality
education, finding employment that ensures a good quality of life, and enjoying
a comfortable retirement. An equitable region is free from discrimination that
marginalizes residents based on race, gender identity, religion, disability, nationality,
immigration status, sexual orientation, and age, preventing fair access to resources
and opportunities.
Achieving equity means eliminating disparities that harm certain groups and not
others, in ways that are unfair, preventable, systematic, and grounded in social,
political, and historical factors. It also requires acknowledging and addressing the
structural dimensions of racism, discrimination, and prejudice in public policy that
limit opportunities for residents and their families.
The results of inequity are profound, and their impacts are not confined to those
individuals and communities that experience them. Inequity affects individuals at
each stage of life, from birth to death. Individuals affected by inequity experience
health problems, have lower educational attainment rates, are less likely to
participate in the labor force, are subject to increased risk of violence, and may have
a lower quality of life after retirement. Inequity affects all the region’s communities:
health disparities can contribute to rising health care costs; economic growth is
hampered by skilled labor shortages; and municipalities struggle with the cost of
providing social services to areas of concentrated poverty. There is abundant evidence
that equitable regions are more economically competitive, fiscally sound, and socially
connected than those with high levels of inequality.
This indicators report seeks to quantify the many dimensions and forms of inequity
so that the region can track its progress toward a more equitable future. These
findings will also inform an update to MAPC’s Equity Policy Agenda, produced after
the 2011 report. Action on this policy agenda is needed now more than ever. As Metro
Boston becomes increasingly diverse, it essential for us to address the inequities
negatively affecting a growing share of the population, and to do so immediately and
in a determined manner. As the federal government appears poised to roll back many
of the pro-equity policies advanced by the Obama Administration and its predecessors
—both Republican and Democrat—MAPC and its partners must work even harder to
ensure an equitable and prosperous future for all of the people who live or work in
Metro Boston.
An equitable region is one in which all residents
have opportunities to reach their full potential

Metro Boston is becoming more
diverse. In 1980, the region’s
population was 8% people of
color; by 2010, that figure had
grown to 25%. MAPC projects
that by 2040 the region will be at
least 40% people of color. Latinos
are the largest and fastest-
growing non-White demographic
group in the re gion, now
composing 9% of the total
population. Immigrants are an
important driver of the region’s
population growth; without
international immigrants,
Metro Boston would have lost
population—and workers—
between 2000 and 2010. The
origins of immigrants are also
changing in the past few years,
with more people moving here
from Asia and Africa, and fewer
from Europe.
Even as it grows more diverse,
the region remains racially
and economically segregated.
The Dissimilarity Index, which
measures the extent to which
two groups are similarly
distributed across the region,
has shown decreasing Black-
White segregation since 1980.
However, the Dissimilarity
Index for Latinos and Whites is
now higher than it was in 1990,
indicating a greater degree of
segregation between the two
groups, despite rapid growth
in the Latino population. Black
and Latino residents make up
7% and 9% of the region’s
population, respectively, but the
average White resident lives in
a neighborhood where only 4%
of her or his neighbors are Black
and only 6% of the neighbors
are Latino. The average Black
resident lives in a neighborhood
where 43% of her or his
neighbors are White.
Racial segregation cannot be
attributed only to differences
in income. Regardless of their
income, people of color live in
less-affluent neighborhoods
than white households with
comparable earnings. Imagine
two households—one White,
one Black, both earning $78,000
per year. The odds are that
the White household lives in
a neighborhood where the
median household income of its
neighbors is $72,000. Meanwhile,
the Black household is likely to
live in a neighborhood where the
median income is just $51,000.
This disparity has increased
substantially since 2000. Similar
disparities are observed for
Latinos and Asians, though
the disparities are smaller for
those demographic groups and
decline at higher income levels.
These findings indicate that
even middle class children of
color are likely to live in high-
poverty neighborhoods that may
have negative and long-lasting
impacts on health, education, and
income.
Meanwhile, other measures
of economic segregation
demonstrate that the region’s
poorest households are becoming
increasingly concentrated into
low-income neighborhoods
with little income diversity. This
suggests that more work needs to
be done to revitalize low income
communities while opening up
opportunity in more affluent
areas.
Neighborhood Median Income by Household Income and Race/Ethnicity
2010-14, Boston-Quincy Metropolitan Division
FIGURE 1. Data source: Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis
Metro Boston is becoming more diverse, but more
economically segregated

One of the most startling
findings of the 2011 State of
Equity report pertained to low
birth weight, which can affect
a child’s outcomes in life even
before she is born. Low birth
weight (less than 5.5 pounds)
increases risks of infant health
problems and infant mortality,
and has been associated with
educational and developmental
delays and adult health problems.
Research has shown that social
and environmental conditions
increase the risk of having a low
birth weight baby, regardless
of a mother’s individual risk
factors. In 2011, we found that
racial disparities in low birth
weight eclipsed the differences
attributable to education level. In
fact, based on 2005 – 2009 data,
a college-educated Black woman
was more likely to have a low
birth weight baby than a White
woman without a high school
diploma.
More recent data shows that
disparities in low birth weight
are declining. The most recent
data (2010 – 2014) indicate that
the rate of low-weight births
declined for Black mothers at
all education levels. During the
same period, the rate of low birth
weight for White mothers without
a college degree increased. So
while the disparities between
Blacks and Whites at all education
levels are now substantially
smaller than they were ten years
ago, the reasons behind the lower
disparity are not entirely positive.
Not all the news is good for
youth health outcomes, either.
In particular, youth asthma
hospitalizations increased by
more than 10% over a 5-year
period. Increases were seen for
all race and ethnic groups, and
the disparity increased between
White youths and youths of color.
Asthma hospitalization rates for
Black youth are now 2.7 times
higher than the regional average,
and climbing. While the rates for
Latino youth are still closer to the
regional average, they increased
22% in 5 years. Since asthma
hospitalizations affect children’s
time in school and a host of
other outcomes, it is imperative
to address the environmental
conditions that cause asthma
and trigger attacks, and to help
parents take steps to manage
their child’s asthma to avoid
hospitalization.
Children’s health is improving, but disparities continue to
limit long-term outcomes for many
Low Birth Weight by Mother’s Race/Ethnicity and Education
2005-09 and 2010-14, MAPC Region
FIGURE 2. Data source: Massachusetts Department of Public Health

The 2011 State of Equity report
documented well-known
but troubling disparities in
educational achievement by race,
ethnicity, language, disability
and income. Standardized
test performance improved
across almost all demographic
categories between 2009 and
2015, and the gains were largest
for Black and Latino students.
For the 10th Grade Math MCAS,
the percent of Black and Latino
students scoring Advanced or
Proficient grew by 9 percentage
points and 7 percentage points,
respectively, and the gap in
scores between these groups and
White students dropped by 5
points and 3 points. These groups
also saw even larger increases
in their four-year graduation
rates, and the gap in graduation
rate with Whites fell by one
quarter. Smaller gains in test
scores and graduation rates were
also observed for students with
disabilities, low-income students,
and English language learners.
While standardized tests and
graduation rates are certainly not
the only, or perhaps even the best
indicators of educational quality
and attainment, these trends are
positive nonetheless.
Part of the reason for these
improvements may be associated
with changes in how students
are disciplined in school. Overly
strict disciplinary policies, which
disproportionately affect students
of color, low-income students,
and special education students,
may be counterproductive by
reducing classroom time and
actually contributing to increased
vulnerability to imprisonment.
New school discipline policies,
prompted in part by a 2012
law promoting alternatives to
exclusionary discipline, have
substantially reduced the rates
of suspensions. Out of school
suspensions are becoming less
common, and less disparately
applied. Suspension rates in
schools with more than 50%
students of color are half of
what they were in 2006 – 2007,
though they still remain twice as
high as the average for all schools
in the region. Continuing to find
alternative ways to discipline
students while keeping them
engaged in school is critical
if the region is going to close
achievement and graduation
gaps.
Students of all backgrounds are benefitting from educational
improvements, but gaps remain
10th Grade Math MCAS Scores of Advanced or Proficient
FIGURE 3. Data source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education
Out-of School Suspensions
2005-06 through 2015-16, MAPC Region
FIGURE 4. Data source: Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

Some of the most troubling
trends related to economic
mobility have worsened over
recent years in Metro Boston.
If inequity often breaks across
economic and racial lines, the
underlying disparities in earnings
and wealth are widening. The
most recent earnings data
show that income polarization
is increasing, and that this
polarization disproportionately
affects Black and Latino
residents. The average income
for the highest-earning fifth
of households ($272,500) is 18
times higher than average income
for the lowest-income fifth of
households ($14,900). That ratio
has increased by two points since
2006, indicating greater disparity
between the earnings of high-
and low-income households. The
highest-income fifth now earns
13% more than in 2006, while
real dollar income of lowest-
income fifth is 1% less than it was
ten years ago.
This can be attributed in part to
wage polarization and the decline
of the middle class. Even as the
total number of jobs and working
households grew, the absolute
number of middle-income
households fell by 2%, and the
share of working households
considered middle-income
declined from 33% of the total to
only 26%.
By concentrating earnings and
the benefits of economic growth
into a smaller number of people,
growing income inequality limits
upward economic mobility,
making it less likely that children
in low income families will earn
more than their parents. This
reduction in income mobility
disproportionately affects Black
and Latino households, whose
median incomes are less than
half of median incomes for White
and Asian households. While
median incomes did not change
significantly for White, Asian,
and Latino households since
the last State of Equity report,
median income declined for Black
households, falling from $45,800
to $43,600.
MAPC’s 2011 report found that
even people of color who earn a
substantial income face continued
discrimination in choosing
where to live. In particular,
high-income applicants (those
earning more than $118,000 per
year) who are Black are more
than twice as likely to be denied
a mortgage than high-income
borrowers who are White. Similar
discrimination exists for Latino
and Native American applicants.
There has been some progress
in recent years: for high-income
Percent Change in Mean Household Income by Quintile, Compared to 2006 (adjusted to 2015 dollars)
Metro Boston MSA (MA-NH), 2006 through 2015
FIGURE 5. Data source: American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
Income polarization and discrimination limit economic
mobility

Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity
2005-09 to 2010-14, Metro Boston MSA (MA)
FIGURE 6. Data source: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate
Home Mortgage Denial Rate for High Income Applicants
2009 and 2015, MAPC Region
FIGURE 7. Data source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
Many residents are sidelined from the regional economy
Black applicants, the denial
rate dropped 4.7 percentage
points, and for high-income
Latino applicants the denial rate
dropped 3.3 percentage points.
However, the approval gap
remains high, and will require
strong and sustained efforts to
erase.
Disproportionate denial rates
are one contributing factor to
the widening homeownership
gap in the region. While
homeownership rates overall
have dropped slightly in the
last ten years, the declines have
been most substantial for Black
and Latino householders, whose
homeownership rates (32% and
25%, respectively) are less than
half of homeownership rates for
White householders (68%).
Metro Boston’s economy has
been growing robustly since
the Great Recession, and by the
end of 2016 the Metro Boston’s
official unemployment rate was
2.5%, according to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics (BLS). Some
observers have commented
that the state has reached “full
employment” and have expressed
concerns about labor shortages
that may occur in the coming
years as more Baby Boomers
retire. While this concern is real,
there is also abundant evidence
that the region is not making the
most of its resident population to
power the economy. Labor force
participation rates for people
with only a high school degree
are 12 percentage points lower
than the rates for those with a
bachelor’s degree, and trending
downward, suggesting that more
efforts are needed to provide the
additional education and training
that can “unlock” this potential
labor supply.
Despite the historically low
unemployment rate, several
other groups continue to
experience challenges in finding
employment. Unemployment
estimates collected by the U.S.
Census Bureau over the past five
years are not directly comparable
to the BLS statistics, but they
do show important disparities
across different groups.
According to those estimates, the
unemployment rate for people
with a disability is more than ten
percentage points higher than
for people without a disability.
The unemployment rate for
workers who are Black is nearly 7
percentage points higher than the

rate for workers who are White,
and the Latino rate is nearly 5
points higher.
Incarceration severely limits
job, housing, and educational
opportunities for former
inmates, and it costs the state
a tremendous amount. As of
January 1, 2016, there were
over 10,000 people in prison
in Massachusetts Department
of Corrections facilities, and
Black and Latino inmates are
severely over-represented in
the system. Although the state
population is 7% Black and 11%
Latino, the state’s DOC inmates
are 27% Black and 25% Latino.
Native Americans residents, as
of 2016, have the highest rate of
incarceration in the state’s prison
system. The number of inmates
statewide dropped by 12% from
2010 to 2016, and the disparities
in incarceration rate for residents
who are Black and Latino also
declined, albeit slowly. The
work to close these gaps needs
to continue, as does the work
to support released prisoners as
they reenter society.
Massachusetts Department of Corrections Jurisdiction Population as a Percent of Total
Population by Race/Ethnicity, 2010 through 2016
FIGURE 9. Data source: Massachusetts Department of Corrections Inmate Characteristics
by Race/Ethnicity
Unemployment Rate
2011-15, MAPC Region
FIGURE 8. Data source: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate
As the Baby Boomer generation
ages, the region will experience
substantial growth in the senior
population, which may grow by
75% between 2010 and 2030.
As a result, it is increasingly
important to address the needs
of older adults and minimize
inequities in their senior years.
This is especially true since
people are living longer. Over a
five year period, the premature
mortality rate (the number of
deaths under the age of 75) in
the region decreased from 303
per 100,000 to 280 per 100,000
residents. Specifically, the above-
average premature mortality
rates for White and Black
residents declined, while rates
for Asian, Latino, and Native
American remained statistically
unchanged. Black residents
continue to have the highest
premature mortality rate (348 per
100,000.)
An increasing share of adults are
continuing to work past age 65.
The labor force participation rate
of older adults (ages 65 or older)
has been increasing steadily since
2009, after the Recession. It’s not
Metro Boston residents are living longer, but are facing
financial burdens in their later years

Conclusions
clear if this is due to preference
or necessity, but it is clear that
financial burdens for many older
adults, whether working or on
a fixed income, are substantial.
The poverty rate of older adults
is nearly 10%, statistically
unchanged from 2005-09,
but grandparents responsible
for their grandchildren have a
poverty rate of more than 15%,
double that of grandparents
not responsible for their
grandchildren.
Older adults are more housing
cost burdened (meaning that
they pay more than 30% of their
income on housing) than younger
adults. Nearly 60% of renter
households headed by an older
adult are cost burdened, and
more than a third of households
where the homeowner is an older
adult are cost burdened. These
renter and owner housing cost
burden rates are unchanged
since 2005-09, even though for
younger householders who own
their home, housing cost burden
has decreased by more than 5
percentage points. These figures
suggest that as the number of
fixed-income Baby Boomer
retirees grows substantially over
the coming decades, the region
may be facing a cost burden crisis
even greater than the one we
have today.
Premature Mortality Rate per 100,000
FIGURE 10. Data source: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, MassCHIP
Cost Burden by Age for Renters and Owners
2011-15, Metro Boston MSA (MA)
FIGURE 11. Data source: American Community Survey
5-Year Estimate
The key findings presented
here (and the full set of
indicators available at www.
regionalindicators.org)
demonstrate that inequities
remain a significant and growing
problem in Metro Boston.
Due to concerted efforts and
leadership, some progress has
been made in closing gaps in
education, housing opportunity,
incarceration rates, and some
health indicators. Many of
these improvements followed
specific policy interventions
or investments made with the
explicit intention of reducing
inequities. These successes
demonstrate that by quantifying
the problem, identifying policy
solutions, and building broad
coalitions, real change can
happen – we can bend the trends.
Our findings also demonstrate
that the barriers to equity
continue to grow on many fronts,
and much more work is needed to
keep ahead of those challenges,
and ultimately eliminate them. In
particular, efforts in public health

and education will pay dividends
for decades to come by helping
more youth to grow up to become
healthy, skilled, and engaged
adults. The Commonwealth
and its municipalities must
continue momentum related to
disparate policing and prison
reform to reduce the number of
people caught up in the criminal
justice system. While income
inequality is a growing problem
nationally, there are many steps
that Massachusetts and Metro
Boston can take to address the
problem locally, through wage
regulations and more progressive
tax structures. Finally, the
persistent and problematic
racial and economic segregation
that contributes to many of the
inequities observed here must
be addressed through policies
designed to revitalize low-income
neighborhoods without displacing
the residents already there, while
also opening up high-opportunity
suburbs to a broader range of
people.
Despite the enormous challenges
facing Metro Boston, there is
cause for optimism. This region
is fortunate to be home to an
ecosystem of organizations
and individuals committed to
advancing equity. From leaders
on Beacon Hill and municipal
government to think tanks and
universities, to social justice
organization and community
development corporations,
thousands are engaged in this
effort. MAPC hopes that this
indicators report will provide our
allies with data-driven insights
into the progress made and the
challenges that remain. We will
use this report to help shape our
policy priorities and encourage
others to do the same. This
work is not easy, and it won’t
happen overnight, but together
we can make a Greater, and more
equitable, Boston Region.
To learn more about MetroFuture and MAPC’s project
work, visit projects.metrofuture.org.

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