Economic and Community Development
Critical Census Findings
No other trend in public policy, technology or industry will have as much impact on economic prosperity of your region over the coming decade as demographics.
Analysis of the 2010 Census done for Brookings’ State of Metropolitan America report shows that the country is growing slower, growing older, and becoming more diverse every year. Those trends may not surprise you, but the report also finds that we’re less mobile and that the median household is also less rich.
While some of the census findings may be exaggerated by the economic downturn, all of these demographic trends are interconnected. Understanding the connections and developing strategies to adapt to an older, more diverse population and workforce will likely widen the divide between prosperous regions and struggling ones over the coming years.
For a quick and dirty digest of key census findings, check out Five Things the Census Revealed About America in 2011 from the Brookings Intuition.
For a deeper dive into this topic, check out the ACCE webinar “Baby Boomer Economy” featuring Ellen Cutter from Market Street Services.
Tags: growth, population, workforce, census, demographics, diversity, equity
