Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1367407
PolicyLink and PERE 12 An Equity Profile of Orange County 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. Introduction This document presents an equity analysis of the Orange County region. It was developed to help Orange County Grantmakers and other funders effectively address equity issues through their grantmaking, with the goal of a more integrated and sustainable region. PolicyLink, PERE, and Orange County Grantmakers also hope this will be a useful tool for advocacy groups, elected officials, planners, and others. The data in this profile are drawn largely from a regional equity database that 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. This database incorporates hundreds of data points from public and private data sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and Woods & Poole Economics, Inc. See the "Data and methods" section of this profile for a detailed list of data sources.