Curated Blog Post: Central New York Community Foundation

Our friends at the Central New York Community Foundation posted a blog on July 11th titled "Lending Tree Study Ranked Syracuse Second in Economic Disparity."

I know what you're thinking - where does Rochester rank? Fortunately, we did not make the bottom five. Unfortunately, we are bottom six.

I encourage you to read the CNY blog post for their insight, and to look at the lending tree study itself (linked directly here). We have more work to do!

Curated Article: Women and Labor Market Recovery

On July 26, Brookings published a research study on the role of “prime-age women” in labor market recovery. Prime-age is defined as women within the age of 25 and 54, and the idea is that women in this age range have increasingly participated in the labor force. Fair warning that the study is very data-heavy, with several charts and interactive graphics, but the overall point is that women are participating in the labor force at high rates.

The study also highlights that female participation in the labor force varies by racial/ethnic group, educational attainment, marital status, and disability status. The study also highlights variation in labor force participation for mothers of school-age children - there was an uptick immediately after the COVID lockdown, and that trend has leveled out. 

We know that COVID had a profound influence on labor force participation patterns, so it is important to pay attention to how patterns continue. Keep in mind that the article is about national trends, but still relevant to the conversations we are having in our community about the need for child care and potential impacts of employment policies on families. 

Consider these national trends when we think about employment opportunities in our region, target audiences for career pipelines, and our ongoing upward mobility efforts. 

Curated article: Brookings takes a holistic look at SNAP benefits

On June 20th, Brookings published an article discussing the many benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), beyond alleviating hunger for families in the United States. With helpful, interactive graphics and concise data, these authors offer an overview of what SNAP is and who might be eligible for the program, while also exploring the layered benefits of a program that is largely independent of household makeup and demographics.

SNAP makes it possible for households to free up other funds for basic needs beyond hunger. Though the funds from SNAP can only be spent on specific items, not having to spend personal funds on those items creates space for families to handle other large, often unexpected expenses, like car repairs or urgent care visits. It provides room to practice balancing a budget and avoid future debts, which is critically important to maintaining financial stability. 

At its core, this article reminds us to look at the holistic picture of economic mobility and stability, and the branching effects that stem from the allowance of flexibility. It is an interesting, short read that communicates data around SNAP in clear context to offer an expanded perspective about the importance of the program. I’d encourage you to give it a read, then explore our indicator about SNAP under “Demographics.” Take note what trends you find interesting across time and see how they may—or may not!—connect with the ideas presented by the team at Brookings. 

Contributed by Madison Esposito, Program Administrator for RACF Initiatives and University of Rochester graduate. 

Curated Report: The Children’s Agenda Rochester City Budget Highlights

Local advocacy organization The Children’s Agenda released a report highlighting the Rochester City’s Budget allocations, with a particular emphasis on how the budget affects children. 

The report calls out policy efforts in the areas of poverty, support for the public library system, youth development and mental health, and youth violence prevention. 

The report is very well-organized, providing readers a summary of budgeted items by category as well as commendations and recommendations. PLEASE READ!

Guest Post: Census Geographies

To unlock the power of the US Census (data provided every 10 years) and the American Community Survey (data provided every year), an understanding of relevant underlying geographies is crucial. Below are explanations of the nine most relevant Census geographies. 

Census Block: The smallest geography in the census, it represents a small segment of housing units in a neighborhood. Limited data is available, especially in lower density areas. 

Census Block Group: A collection of census blocks are packaged together to create a census block group. Census block groups roughly represent neighborhoods. 

Census Tract: This is the smallest unit in which population-level data from the Census is widely available. There are between 1,200 and 8,000 people in each census tract, but the optimal number per tract is 4,000.  

Zip Code Tabulation Areas: This geography contains all addresses within a postal code. Zip codes can be found in parts of the county in which census blocks, census block groups, and census tracts may not be found. Zip codes follow existing geographic barriers such as county subdivisions and counties to a lesser extent than other smaller geographies.  

County Subdivisions: This geography consists of cities, towns, townships, and villages within a specific county. These geographies are the smallest relevant self-governing geography included in the Census. The geographic boundaries of county subdivisions do not align well with other geographic boundaries such as Zip codes and census tracts. 

Place: This geography is very similar to county subdivision, but it contains unincorporated areas in some states and is divorced from county of origin.

Counties: These are a largely administrative geography with a focus on governance. Counties consist of county subdivisions and places, and typically envelop urban high-density cities. This geography varies greatly in population across the United States, but is a strong choice for evaluative geography due to the relatively low standard error in Census and ACS metrics. 

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs): This geography is based around core urban areas and encompasses all areas around this core that have a high degree of economic and social integration. MSAs are not limited by counties, places, or county subdivisions, but can cross relevant political boundaries in order to capture population interest. 

Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs): This geography builds upon the concept of MSAs to include surrounding areas with less integration but high economic reliance on major metro areas. This could include hinterlands of major metros that are only semi-urban. CSAs create a boundary to identify regions that transcend metro boundaries. 

In light of these definitions, we urge you to consider the geography of the question or problem that you have in mind. In many cases, we may need to consider establishing more localized data collection.

Written by Cameron Caputi, Director of Foundation and Community Analytics at Rochester Area Community Foundation. Cameron has a Master of Public Policy and Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and is a skilled data scientist focused on data processes, dashboard creation, and advanced coding. 

Representative Data

On May 7, 2024, the Brookings Institution published commentary on the federal government’s updates to standards for defining race and ethnic categories across government agencies. The commentary is quick to note that standards are still not perfect: Identifying information falls far short of inclusivity. 

In addition to learning about policy updates, the Brookings commentary is an important reminder of the challenges, nuances, and technicalities of representative data. 

Our Community Indicators dashboard uses Census data and data from New York State agencies, all of which have wrestled with these issues. As we note in the Community Indicators section, we know that the racial/ethnic categories may not feel like a direct representation of your racial/ethnic identity and, for some, may not feel empowering. We hope to make bigger strides toward more expansive and inclusive terminology.