As noted recently, we all love a good index, especially when the index aggregates a bunch of different data into "buckets" that make more intuitive sense. And it helps when indices have been "around for a while". In data geek parlance, "around for a while" translates to: 'serve as a longitudinal dataset to allow [...]
The unemployment story is getting better recently -- for all age groups. That's to say, the unemployment rates are lower across the board. But they aren't better equally for everyone. Rates are highest for the 16 to 24 age group, which were up to 20 percent nationally at the height of the recession and [...]
Generational poverty is an ongoing problem in the metro area. Here's a look at how things have (and haven't) changed since 1990. Editor's note: This post was updated on May 16, 2019 to correct for errors in the 10-county area data and 2017 county-level data.
As of Monday, we're just one year out from Census 2020, and even if you're not a demographer or data wonk, we promise it's kind of a big deal. Here's why: It's critical for political representation. If you care about who represents you in Congress, and how much representation you get, then the census update matters [...]
Everybody loves to rank stuff. The NCAA just seeded teams 1-68 for March Madness, for instance (and, incidentally, may your bracket hopes live long and prosper). But oftentimes rankings neither are useful for comparing things nor predictive of results. Creating an index— AKA, building a composite ranking system — can give much better results, [...]
Highlights from this snapshot: Home prices continue to rise nationally. According to the National Association of Realtors, median sales price nationwide is now $257K, compared to around $190K in 2012. Fewer “starter homes” are being built, which is exacerbating the affordability crisis. In metro Atlanta, 44% of home buyers have incomes above $100K, meaning [...]
The Opportunity Zones Program, enacted in 2017 as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, is designed to encourage long-term investment in economically distressed rural and urban neighborhoods across the country. Opportunity Zones are census tracts that have been nominated by governors and certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to receive [...]
