St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund

4 An Equity Profile of Orange County: Summary Overview Across the country, regional planning organizations, local governments, community organizations and residents, funders, and policymakers are striving to put plans, policies, and programs in place that build healthier, more vibrant, more sustainable, and more equitable regions. Equity—ensuring full inclusion of the entire region's residents in the economic, social, and political life of the region, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, neighborhood of residence, or other characteristics—is an essential element of the plans. Understanding how a region measures up in terms of equity is a critical first step to planning for greater equity. To assist communities with that process, PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) developed an equity indicators framework that communities can use to understand and track the state of equity in their regions. An Equity Profile of Orange County examines demographic trends and indicators of equitable growth, highlighting strengths and areas of vulnerability in relation to the goal of building a strong, resilient economy. It was developed by PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) to support Orange County Grantmakers, other funders, advocacy groups, elected officials, planners, business leaders, and others working to build a stronger and more equitable region. This summary document highlights key findings and implications from the larger profile. Unless otherwise noted, all of the data and analyses presented in this profile are the product of PolicyLink and the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE). Equitable Growth Indicators This profile draws from a unique Equitable Growth Indicators Database developed by PolicyLink and PERE. This database incorporates hundreds of data points from public and private data sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Woods & Poole Economics, Inc. The database includes data for all 50 states, the largest 150 metropolitan regions, and the largest 100 cities, and includes historical data going back to 1980 for many economic indicators as well as demographic projections through 2050. It enables comparative regional and state analyses as well as tracking change over time. Many of the indicators included in this profile can also be found online in the National Equity Atlas at www.nationalequityatlas.org. Defining the region For the purposes of this equity profile and data analysis, the Orange County region is defined as Orange County.

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