Scorecard for Shared Prosperity: Measuring change to drive collective action
OUR PATH FORWARD
Long before the COVID-19 crisis hit, disparities have been widening in metro regions across the United States. In the greater Seattle region, disparities around race, gender and geography not only harm some people and communities more than others—particularly Black and Indigenous people —they inhibit the well being of the entire region. Shared prosperity—the idea that we all do better when we all do better—is central to the way Civic Commons addresses these threats and inequities to create a fair system in which everyone has access to the opportunity and resources they need to thrive. With this framework in mind, we convened a panel for a webcast exploring shared prosperity, what it means, and the possibilities it presents for making equitable change in our community. Learn more about how inclusivity benefits everyone and Our Path Forward here.
DIMENSIONS OF PROSPERITY
How to read the data
- Good news! Our region is headed in the right direction.
- Watch out! This trend means something is wrong.
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- Arrows show you whether a trend is increasing or decreasing.
We measure Greater Seattle’s shared prosperity by tracking the total well-being of its residents. Prosperity is truly shared when everyone’s basic needs are met and everyone has access to economic opportunity. Collectively these measurements are meant to help guide local decisions and drive greater equity.
Individuals
Individuals thrive when their health outcomes improve and when occurrence of chronic disease and exposure to violence decreases over time.
See more data on individuals >Change in adults with health concerns
White
People of color
Households
Household thrive when families can build wealth over time with long term assets like personal savings and home ownership, and through entrepreneurship.
See more data on households >Change in median household income
White
Black
Communities
Communities thrive when residents are stable, food secure and not forced to move due to affordability, development, or access. Environmental sustainability also plays a critical role.
See more data on communities >Change in cost-burdened households
White
Black
Economy
Our economy thrives when the region’s businesses expand, hiring is robust, educational attainments rise and traffic delays don’t obstruct the movement of people.
See more data on economy >Change in GDP
Democracy
Our democracy thrives when people participate in community processes and engage with elected representatives.
See more data on democracy >Change in voter participation rate
White
People of color
INDIVIDUALS
People tend to thrive when their primary health needs are met. Our key indicator here is the percentage of adults with health concerns. However, to gauge the overall well-being of individuals, we also track incarceration rates, group participation rates, mental health indicators and air quality.
What are we seeing?
Overall increasing individual concerns for the Greater Seattle region include decreasing group participation rates and worsening mental health.
Increasing or constant racial disparities include the disproportionate imprisonment of Black and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people with the incarceration rates of Black and AI/AN people being 5.6 and 3.4 times higher than white people in King County. Furthermore, the percentage of Asian adults with health concerns has steadily grown from 5.8% in 2017 to 10.0% in 2019.
A highlight is the reduction of Hispanic adults reporting poor health from 22.8% in 2017 to 18.5% in 2019. We also see that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) had a decrease poor mental health from 16.7% in 2017 to 14.3% in 2019.
Individuals
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Households
Median household income data is not available.
Why is this metric important?
Growth in household income is a critical driver in building household wealth and also leads to increased consumption which supports broader economic growth for the region.
Source: ACS
Why is this metric important?
Growing employment indicates robust commerce and provides new job and growth opportunities for the region's residents.
Source: BLS
Why is this metric important?
A highly functioning education system results in a resident base that is engaged, employable, and productive.
Source: Office of the Superintendant of Public Instruction
Why is this metric important?
Well designed transit networks, coupled with easy access connect residents with job centers, create economic opportunities for people while reducing traffic congestion.
Source: PSRC
Why is this metric important?
Homeownership is a primary method of building household wealth over time and provides greater financial security and flexibility.
Source: ACS
Communities
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Economy
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Democracy
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