What does it mean that the Twin Cities region has the highest racial and ethnic disparities in the country among large metro areas?
“The Twin Cities region is falling behind,” said Libby Starling, Deputy Director of the Council’s Community Development Division. “These longstanding disparities in socioeconomic outcomes by race and ethnicity are costing our region. We are losing out on continued economic growth and prosperity with too many of our residents of color economically struggling,” she said.
The Council has just issued local findings from a U.S. Census release of 2016 American Community Survey data. While the region continues to get high marks for its impressive economic profile, disparities in employment, poverty and homeownership between White residents and residents of color remain among the largest in the U.S.
What if we could eliminate those disparities? Starling says the region could reduce the number of residents of color who live in poverty, increase homeownership among residents of color, and increase employment among residents of color.
More information
See the full MetroStates research report, Missing Opportunities: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Twin Cities Metro in 2016 (pdf).