North Carolina has the second largest rural population in the country, with one in three residents living in rural areas. Rural North Carolinians face higher levels of unemployment and poverty than their urban counterparts, and earn lower incomes. Changing this situation and achieving employment equity — when everyone who wants to work has access to a job that pays family-supporting wages and the lack of a good job cannot be predicted by race, gender, or geography — is crucial to the economic future of not only rural North Carolina, but that of the entire state. This is the fourth of five briefs about employment equity in southern states produced by the National Equity Atlas partnership with the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This report was released in partnership with Rural Forward NC and the NC Budget & Tax Center. Download the report, detailed methodology, and fact sheet.

Albuquerque is a growing, majority people-of-color city that is becoming even more diverse as communities of color drive the city’s growth. Embracing this rising diversity as an asset and addressing persistent racial and economic inequities is critical to the city’s prosperity. We estimate that the Albuquerque metro economy would have been $11 billion larger in 2015 absent its racial inequities in income. This profile, produced with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, was released in partnership with the City of Albuquerque and New Mexico Voices for Children, and will serve as a guide for the city’s new Office of Equity and Inclusion to set its racial and economic equity agenda. Read the profile and one-page summary.

Media: Mayor Discusses Equity Profile (KRQU TV News), ABQ Releases Report on Racial Diversity (Albuquerque Journal)

Albuquerque is a growing, majority people-of-color city that is becoming even more diverse as communities of color drive the city’s growth. Embracing this rising diversity as an asset and addressing persistent racial and economic inequities is critical to the city’s prosperity. We estimate that the Albuquerque metro economy would have been $11 billion larger in 2015 absent its racial inequities in income. This profile was produced by the National Equity Atlas partnership with the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The profile was released in partnership with the City of Albuquerque and New Mexico Voices for Children, and will serve as a guide for the city’s new Office of Equity and Inclusion to set its racial and economic equity agenda. Read the profile, one-page summary, and press release.

This profile is an update to the original profile released in December 2014 to help Heartland 2050, a community-driven initiative working toward a common vision for the Omaha-Council Bluffs region in Nebraska and Iowa, implement its plan for equitable growth. The Omaha-Council Bluffs region continues to undergo a demographic transformation that has major implications for how the region charts a future of sustainable, inclusive prosperity. Communities of color – particularly a growing Latino population – are driving population growth in the region, making their ability to participate in the economy and thrive central to the region’s success. Our updated analysis finds that closing wide racial gaps in income could have boosted the regional economy by nearly $4.8 billion in 2015. Read the profile, summary, and view the press release. 

Media: Heartland 2050: "Everyone Prospers" Event Set for Wednesday (KIOS 91.5), Report Paints 'Stark' Picture of Economic Consequences of Omaha Area's Racial Gaps (Omaha World Herald), Study: Not Everyone Benefiting From Strong Local Economy (Daily Nonpareil), As Demographics Change, Groups Look to Increase Equity in Opportunities (Omaha Public Radio)

This profile analyzes the state of health equity and inclusive growth in the Sacramento region, and the accompanying policy brief, Health Equity Now: Toward an All-In Sacramento, summarizes the data and presents recommendations to advance health equity and inclusive growth. They were created by PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) in partnership with the Healthy Sacramento Coalition, whose broader vision is to eliminate health inequities in Sacramento. This equity analysis was developed with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Read the profile and policy brief.

Media: Sick Stats: New Report Says Lack of Action on Community Health is Costing Sacramento (NewsReview.com)

A thriving, inclusive economy depends on the success and growth of small businesses. Nearly half of all workers are employed at a small business; and businesses owned by women and people of color have created 1.3 million new jobs between 2007 and 2012. This brief looks at small businesses and the barriers they face in providing good jobs obstacles, as well as key strategies being implemented by various actors in the business development ecosystem—technical assistance providers, small-business lenders and investors, economic development agencies, business associations, and workforce and labor partners—to help small businesses get on the road to good jobs.

University of California Bans the Box for Job Applicants

Accelerating the Housing Recovery and Building Community Wealth in Chicago; In Boston, Momentum Grows for Renters’ Rights

When Housing Is Affordable, Everyone Wins