State of Equity Five-Year Update
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This document summarizes a presentation on equity in the Metro Boston region. It discusses goals for increasing equity, including reducing segregation, improving access to affordable housing and food, and increasing opportunities for advancement for workers of color. It then reviews trends related to equity across different life stages and demographics since 2011. Key metrics like income inequality, low birth weight, test scores, incarceration rates, labor force participation, and housing cost burden show both improvements in some disparities but also growing inequities in other areas. The presentation concludes that inequity remains significant and is growing, but that policy interventions can help advance equity, though continued work is still needed.
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State of Equity Five-Year Update
- 1. STATE OF EQUITY IN METRO BOSTON 2017 Update February 28, 2017 Hibernian Hall, Roxbury Jessie Partridge
- 2. MetroFuture: Making a Greater Boston Region
- 3. MetroFuture Equity Goals (a sample) #15: There will be less regional segregation as all municipalities increasingly reflect Metro Boston’s growing diversity. #16: Low-income households will be able to find affordable, adequate, conveniently located housing. #24: Residents in all communities and of all incomes will have access to affordable, healthy food. #38: More workers of color and immigrant workers will have opportunities to advance on the career ladder, acquire assets, and build wealth.
- 4. State of Equity in Metro Boston - 2011 Inequity occurs across life stages, from birth through old age
- 5. State of Equity since 2011 State of Equity Policy Agenda Key policy and programmatic recommendations to "bend the trends" towards greater regional equity. MAPC Equity Action Plan Taking action to advance equity and cultural competency in our organization and beyond. http://www.mapc.org/equity-initiatives
- 7. What makes an equitable region? All have equal access to opportunities that enable them to attain their full potential.
- 8. A Changing Region: Demographics Population by Race, Ethnicity and Age 2010, MAPC Region Data Source: 2010 Census, U.S. Census Bureau
- 9. Segregation across incomes Neighborhood Median Income by Household Income and Race/Ethnicity 2010-14, Boston-Quincy Metropolitan Division Data Source: Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis
- 10. Growing income inequality Percent Change in Average Household Income 2006 through 2015, Metro Boston MSA (MA) Data Source: American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
- 11. Generally declining low birth weight Low Birth Weight by Mother’s Race and Ethnicity and Education 2005-09 and 2010-14, MAPC Region Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- 12. Reduced disparities in standardized test scores 10th Grade Math MCAS Scores of Proficient or Advanced 2008-09 and 2013-14, MAPC Region Data Source: Massachusetts Department Elementary and Secondary Education
- 13. Declining exclusionary discipline rates Out of School Suspensions 2005-06 through 2015-16, MAPC Region Data Source: Massachusetts Department Elementary and Secondary Education
- 14. Declining incarceration rates Massachusetts Department of Corrections Jurisdiction Population, as a Percent of Total Population by Race and Ethnicity 2010 through 2016, Massachusetts Data Source: Massachusetts Department of Corrections Inmate Characteristics by Race/Ethnicity
- 15. Disparate labor force participation Labor Force Participation Rate by Educational Attainment 2008 through 2015, Metro Boston MSA Data Source: American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau Bachelor’s degree or higher Some college or associate’s degree High school diploma or equivalent Less than a high school diploma
- 16. Large gaps in unemployment Unemployment Rate by Group 2011-15, MAPC Region Data Source: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate, U.S. Census Bureau
- 17. Cost burden most severe for older adults Cost Burden by Age and Owner or Renter Status 2011-15, Metro Boston MSA Data Source: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate, U.S. Census Bureau
- 18. Conclusions • Inequity remains significant and is growing across many measures • Some disparities are closing • Policy interventions can help • The work must continue
- 19. Thank you! Jessie Partridge Research Analyst II & Data Engagement Specialist jpartridge@mapc.org #soeupdate17
- 20. Panel Discussion • Jeanette Huezo, United for a Fair Economy, Executive Director • Kim Janey, Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Senior Project Director • Dr. W.W. Sanouri Ursprung, MA Department of Public Health, Acting Director of Statistics and Evaluation • Moderated by Marc Draisen, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Executive Director #soeupdate17
Editor's Notes
- The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is Metro Boston’s regional planning agency. Our work is driven by MetroFuture, a long-range plan with a vision for a more equitable and sustainable Metro Boston in 2030. MetroFuture, adopted in 2008, captures that vision through goals and objectives across topics including Land Use, Transportation, Housing, the Environment, the Economy and Community. Many of the Goals in MetroFuture strive for more equity in the region, these are a few examples:
- In order to understand whether or not the region is progressing towards this vision, MAPC implemented a Regional Indicators program to measure the goals and objectives of MetroFuture with available data over time.
- In 2011 MAPC published The State of Equity in Metro Boston, the first in a series of indicator reports that laid a baseline against which to measure progress. The agency felt it was important to lead with a cross-topic report on equity because without equity, the region cannot ever be truly prosperous or sustainable. That 2011 report examined disparities in many areas including health, education, open space, housing and transportation, and it found that inequity occurs across life stages from birth through old age.
- After publishing the State of Equity in 2011, MAPC published the Equity Policy Agenda to prioritize the support of and advocacy for policies that would address the inequities documented in the indicators. The Policy Agenda, published in 2014, continues to inform MAPC’s legislative priorities, which currently include: Zoning reform (to expand housing opportunities for all) Paid family and medical leave (up to 16 weeks of paid leave @50% of salary) Prevention and wellness trust (supports clinical-community partnerships to prevent chronic disease) Shannon Grant funding (youth violence prevention) MAPC also has an internal Equity team that meets six times a year and follows an equity action agenda with priorities for aligning our internal practices and procedures with our vision for an equitable region, and to monitor the extent to which our project work advances this vision.
- After State of Equity, we published Regional Prosperity Indicators in 2015 and Sustainable Transportation Indicators in 2016. Each of these reports, and the newly published State of Equity Update can be found at regionalindicators.org.
- In a truly equitable region, all of the region’s residents have equal access to opportunities that enable them to attain their full potential. Every person has a shot at growing up healthy, receiving a quality education, getting a good job that ensures a good quality of life, and enjoying a comfortable retirement. An equitable Metro Boston is free from discrimination that marginalizes residents based on race, religion, disability, nationality, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, 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 requires acknowledging the structural dimensions of racism, discrimination and bias, and confronting those factors that have contributed to creating the disparities we see today. From colonization to slavery to restrictive housing policy and the prison industrial complex, disenfranchisement runs deep through our history. As we review these findings today, it is important to remember history, especially in the current political circumstances, and really think about what it will take to reverse trends that are showing continued or growing disparities, and how to ensure that we maintain progress--and speed it up--for trends moving in the right direction.
- Metro Boston is becoming more diverse. This is not new news. People of color make up 25% of the region’s residents today, and MAPC projects this will grow to at least 40% by 2040. Black, Latino and Asian residents have all grown in share of the population, and we have more residents today born outside the U.S. who have come here to make a life. Younger residents of the region are more diverse than older residents, shown here in this chart. The population under 18 is 40% people of color, whereas the population 65 and older is 15% people of color. As the Baby Boomer generation leaves the workforce, these young folks are going to be the ones taking their place. So, it is not only critical for the well-being of our residents that we reduce disparities, but also for the prosperity of our region. When inequities confront segments of the population that are growing in size, they are bound to have an increasing impact on the region.
- At the same time as the region has become more diverse, it has become more racially and economically segregated. The 2011 State of Equity found that Metro Boston is among the most segregated regions in the country. Of 100 large metropolitan areas, Boston ranked 13th most segregated for Black and White residents, 9th most segregated for Asian and White residents, and 6th most segregated for Latino and White residents. In this update, we see, too, that the region is becoming more and more economically segregated, so that lower-income households are becoming more concentrated with less income diversity. The confluence of the racial and economic segregation is what you see on this slide. This chart shows neighborhood median income by household income for Black, Latino, Asian and White households. Along the y-axis, you see median neighborhood income, and along the x-axis you see household income. Each line represents the income of a household headed by someone of one of these four race or ethnicities, and the corresponding likely median income in their neighborhood. So here, you see that a White household with an income of about $10,000 is likely to live in a neighborhood where the average income is over $60,000. A Black or Latino household making $10,000 is likely to live in a neighborhood with a median household income of just over $40,000. On the higher end, a White household making about $80,000 is likely to live in a neighborhood with a median income of about $75,000, whereas a Black household making $80,000 is likely to live in a neighborhood with a median income of about $50,000. The trend for Asian households shows that lower-income Asian households tend to live in neighborhoods with incomes similar to Black and Latino households, but high-income Asian households tend to live in more affluent neighborhoods, more similar to the trend for Whites. The disparities in these trends have increased since 2000.
- As economic segregation is growing, so is economic inequality. This chart shows the percent change over 2006 in average household income for each fifth of the region’s households (here called a quintile) by household income. So you can see this yellow line here is the 20% of the population with the highest income. Since 2006, this fifth of households has seen a growth in average income of 13%. On the other hand, here on the bottom this blue line is the 20% of households with the lowest incomes, who have actually seen a decline of 1% in their average income, once adjusted for inflation. The 20% of households above them have not fared much better, and only saw positive income growth for the first time since the Recession in 2015. For context, the average income for this highest-income fifth of households is $272,500 as of 2015. For the lowest-income fifth of households, it is $14,900. This reduction in income mobility disproportionately affects Black and Latino households, whose median incomes are nearly half of median incomes for White and Asian households. Growing income inequality concentrates money into a smaller number of households, and limits the opportunity for building wealth and for upward economic mobility, making it less likely that children will earn more than their parents.
- One of the most important early indicators of childhood health is birth weight. Low birth weight of less than 5.5 pounds has been associated with educational and developmental delays and adult health problems. Social and environmental conditions increase the risk of having a low birth weight baby, regardless of a mother’s individual risk factors. In 2011, the disparities demonstrated in low birth weight by race and educational attainment were striking. This chart shows: Less than high school on your left in blue: light blue is older data, from 2005-09, darker blue is most recent data available, 2010-14 College graduate on your right in red: light red is older data, from 2005-09, darker red is most recent data available, 2010-14 Within each racial and ethnic group, there are higher rates for mothers without a high school diploma and lower rates for mothers with a college degree Comparing across race and ethnicity, Black mothers have the highest rates at both educational attainment levels (and this carries through with other attainment levels) Some good news, though, for most women of color low-birth weight rates have declined since 2005-09, so you can see here, for Black mothers without a high school diploma, Black mothers with a college degree, Asian mothers without a high school diploma, and Latina mothers with a college degree, the rates in 2010-14 are all lower than they were in 2005-09. White women without a high school diploma saw an increase in low birth weight rate, so not all the news is positive. Where we have seen improvements though, the implications are good for the future of the region’s children.
- Another set of measures that appear to be moving in the right direction are those of the region’s elementary and high school students. This chart shows the rate of a score of proficient or advanced on the 10th grade MCAS math test. The blue bars on the left are 2008-09 scores and the green bars on the right are 2013-14 scores. Shown for White, Black, Latino, Asian, English language learning students, students with disabilities, and low-income students. There are a few findings to note: First, disparities remain great for Black and Latino students, English language learning students and students with disabilities. Next, almost all students are scoring better on the math test, with the exception of English language learning students. Improvement in scoring is highest for Black, Latino, low-income students and students with disabilities, helping to close disparities for these groups But, as you can see, English language learners have the lowest rate of math proficiency, and saw little to no improvement over this time period. Graduation rates show similar trends, with more students graduating and disparities closing, although slowly. These students are the future of our workforce, so, while we know that standardized tests and graduation rates are not the only or best indicators of educational quality, it is encouraging that more and more of the region’s students are graduating with what we can hope are foundational skills that will lead to higher education and gainful employment, perhaps in the high-skill industries that Metro Boston is known for.
- Exclusionary discipline is also declining. What this chart shows is the rate of out-of-school suspensions for schools where 50% or more of the student body is students of color, in pink, the average rate in gray, schools where 25% to 49% of students are of color in green, and schools where less than 25% of students are of color on the bottom in blue. These trends, similar to the others, show large disparities for students of color, where schools with a majority of students of color have a suspension rate double the regional average. The rates, overall, appear to be declining, due in part to policies implemented in individual districts, and statewide policy adopted in 2012. Disciplinary rates are important because being suspended means missing out on classroom time, and because it increases the risk of a student following the school-to-prison pipeline, where escalating interactions with disciplinary actions at school lead ultimately to imprisonment. And, though students of color are not necessarily more prone to misbehavior than White students, as these trends show, they are more likely to be punished.
- Incarceration rate trends, again, show major disparities by race and ethnicity, but have generally been trending downward since 2010. This data is just for inmates in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections jurisdiction. Black and Latino inmates are severely overrepresented in these facilities, and as you can see here, Native Americans have the highest rate of incarceration, by race and ethnicity, in these facilities. We don’t have the data for it here, but national studies demonstrate that there are additional marginalized groups that are overrepresented in the prison system, including low-income people, people with disabilities, the homeless, and LGBTQ+ people. Research also suggests that the main drivers of disparities in incarceration rates are inequitable access to resources, rigid and inflexible legislation (eg; mandatory minimums), and discrimination in policing and sentencing. Incarceration severely limits job, housing, and educational opportunities for former inmates, and encounters with the criminal justice system can have long-term impacts on earning power and employability, as well as mental and physical health. As inmates leave the system they need support to reenter life outside.
- Labor force participation is a measure of how many people are working or looking for work. Labor force participation rates in Metro Boston held steady through the Great Recession, though in much of the country it declined. However, looking at the trends closely by educational attainment, what we see is that as adults with a college degree participated more in the work force over that time, but, those without a college degree participated less. The region will need more of these folks working in order to grow the economy, especially as the Baby Boomer generation continues to leave the workforce.
- A person is unemployed if she or he is actively looking for a job but cannot get one. Unemployment rates in the region are at a historic low, as the region has had a seemingly robust recovery since the Great Recession. Yet, despite this, the rate of unemployment among Black and Latino workers, workers with disabilities, and workers with less than a college degree remain substantially higher than the rates of White workers and those with a bachelor’s degree. People with disabilities have the highest rate of unemployment of all the groups we analyzed, with a rate of 16%, compared to a rate of 6% for their counterparts without a disability. All of these unemployed folks, who are actively looking for jobs, could be contributing in some way to the region’s labor force. And we know that this doesn’t even capture folks who have given up looking for a job.
- One group that has seen an increasing labor force participation rate is adults 65 years and older. Those who might otherwise retire are working more and more, whether out of need or a desire to do so. The Senior population is likely to grow 75% from 2010 to 2030. Unless we can get senior housing cost burden under control, the number of cost burdened households in the region is going to grow by a similar margin, which could lead to a a cost burden crisis even greater than the one we have today.
- Inequity remains significant and is growing across many measures, especially economic outcomes and health outcomes for adults Some disparities are closing in education, housing opportunity, incarceration, and some some health measures We have seen some of these trends moving in the right direction after specific policy interventions So, the work must continue