Community Indicators | United Way of Racine County

Community Indicators Report

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Rodney Prunty

United Way continues to advocate for the effective use to data to enrich learning, generate a community-wide culture of continuous improvement, and support positive change.

For 16 years, United Way of Racine County has published a Community Indicators Report to share with anyone who is interested in the work that we are all doing together to fight for health, education, and financial stability of every person in Racine County.

This report reflects an ongoing commitment to promote advocacy for our county's key issues,

measure, progress, and find solutions by building stronger collaborations. While data is critically important to creating and implementing a collective strategy, we all have a role to play in creating a thriving community. Only together can we make change happen. That is what it means to LIVE UNITED!

RODNEY PRUNTY

PRESIDENT & CHIEF PROFESSIONAL OFFICER

KEY FINDINGS

Key Findings - Health

Health

Across all data, Black people experience higher barriers to health care than any other race.

• Black parents have a 15 percent incidence of low birth-weight babies. White families have the lowest at 6 percent.

• Infant mortality is 24.9 out of 1,000 births to Black parents, compared to 5.7 for white parents and 4.6 for Latinx parents.

• The obesity rate is highest for Black people at 38.1 percent and lowest for white people at 31.5 percent.

Key Findings - Education

Education

Across the majority of data, people of color - especially Black people - experience educational difficulties in higher proportions than white people. The rate of success for Black students compared to white students is in many cases as low as 1 to 5.

• In Racine County’s two largest school districts, Burlington Area School District (BASD) and Racine Unified School District (RUSD), Black students have the lowest graduation rates, and white students have the highest. Comprehensive data divided by race are not available for other school districts.

• In the city of Racine, while men are the demographic group most likely to have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher. Black men are more than five times less likely than white men to have the same level of attainment, and they are the least likely group to have a bachelor’s degree.

• Black students are suspended at higher rates than their peers. In RUSD, Black students’ suspension rate is more than five times higher than white students.

Key Findings - Financial Stability

Financial Stability

While Racine County is level with the state poverty rate, segments of our population are falling behind - especially Black households, mixed-raced households, and households in the city of Racine.

• 40 percent of Black households make less than 125 percent of the poverty rate, compared to 16 percent of white families.

• While the total percentage of all Racine County households in poverty is 12 percent, 27 percent of all Racine County households are ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed), which means they are above poverty but still not earning enough funds for household stability. This means a total of 39 percent of Racine County households not financial stable.

• Black Wisconsin residents are 10 times more likely to experience homelessness than white Wisconsin residents.

RACINE COUNTY SNAPSHOT

Racine County Snapshot - Demographics

Demographics

The region we call Racine County today is the former home of the Potawatomi and Miami tribes. The Miami tribe migrated from this region into southern Michigan and northern Indiana around 1700, following the most advantageous trade opportunities. The Potawatomi tribe continued to reside in southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. Through a series of “treaties” throughout the early 1800s, the United Stated government pressured the Potawatomi to cede their five million acres of land to the U.S., with the exception of a selection of small reservations, and migrate to Iowa. This migration culminated in 1836.

In late 1836, the U.S. legislature of the territory of Wisconsin established the county of Racine (the French form of “root,” named for the Root River). At the time, Racine County included Kenosha County, which was not divided and defined as such until 1850.

Racine County hosts a total of 196,071 people. This is a slight increase over the previous year’s population of 195,010, following a several-year trend of slight population increases. Today, the county is made up of two cities, six towns, and nine villages. The largest population group lives in the city of Racine, which is home to 39 percent of the county’s people - 77,542 individuals.

Racine County’s population is weighted slightly towards 35-to-54-year-old adults. As of 2016, the median age was 39.9.

Racine County’s community is now predominantly white and just .3 percent Native American. The proportions of different races have remained steady over the last handful of years. Compared to the U.S. as a whole, Racine County has a much larger proportion of non-Latinx white people - 73 percent in Racine and 60.7 percent in the U.S. Racine’s Asian population is six times less dense than the nation’s, and Racine’s Native American population is four times less dense than the nation’s. All other Racine County populations of color have less dramatic but still noticeable decrease in density when compared to the United States.

Racine County Snapshot - Industry

Industry

The majority of Racine County’s residents are employed in manufacturing (23%) and the education and health services industries (19%). Trade, transportation, and utilities was formerly a runner up at 20 percent of all residents in 2015, but in 2017 it dropped to six percent. Now, leisure and hospitality is the third most common occupation in the county at 10 percent. All other industries’ proportions in our community have remained relatively level.

The average commute time for Racine County residents is 24.2 minutes.

Racine County Snapshot - Housing

Housing

The proportion of rend to a household’s income is a measure of housing affordability. In communities with disproportionate rent, homeless shelters are prone to higher use and expenses. If 30 percent or more of a household’s income goes to housing, this is considered a “housing-cost burden.” Currently, Racine County’s median gross rent is $979, which comprises 28.5 percent of the county’s median household income ($58,334). While this is just a hair below the housing-cost burden threshold, nearly half (48.5%) of Racine County residents experience housing-cost burden. Burdened households are even more common in the city of Racine at 51.9 percent.

According to the 2016 United Way ALICE Report Household Survival Budget, modest housing for a family of four should be about $735 each month. This is based on a bare-minimum budget that does not allow for savings or unplanned expenses. With the median housing cost in Racine County at $979 and rising steadily, housing - not to mention financial stability - is becoming harder for working families to attain.

HEALTH INDICATORS

Impact Measurement:

By 2025, reduce unhealthy behaviors and poor mental health days for Racine County residents by at least 20 percent.

United Way of Racine County ensures wellness for the workforces of today and tomorrow by increasing the number of Racine County residents who participate in quality and mental health practices. Reducing preventable illnesses and increasing access to care cuts everyone’s healthcare costs. Adults with physical or mental illnesses may miss more time at work and school and struggle to hold a steady job. Healthier children miss fewer days of school and are more prepared to learn. United Way’s strategies prioritize healthy eating and physical activity and support mental health and healthy choices.

Health Indicators - Impact Measurement

HEALTH IN RACINE COUNTY

8 percent of Racine County children weigh less than 2,500 grams (about 5.5 pounds) at birth.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

RODNEY PRUNTY

PRESIDENT & CHIEF PROFESSIONAL OFFICER

KEY FINDINGS

RACINE COUNTY SNAPSHOT

HEALTH INDICATORS

Impact Measurement:

By 2025, reduce unhealthy behaviors and poor mental health days for Racine County residents by at least 20 percent.

HEALTH IN RACINE COUNTY

EDUCATION INDICATORS

IMPACT MEASUREMENT:

By 2025, 75 percent of students who graduate will enroll in college, secure employment, or join job training or the military.

EDUCATION IN RACINE COUNTY

FINANCIAL STABILITY INDICATORS

IMPACT MEASUREMENT:

By 2025, increase the number of financially stable Racine County residents by 2,000.

FINANCIAL STABILITY IN RACINE COUNTY

Health

Education

Financial Stability