Category: Data Informed Features

Grow Smarter is a strategic plan within the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce that aims to reduces gaps by race and place in St. Petersburg, Florida, by introducing equity to economic development efforts. Since its start in 2014, Grow Smarter contributed to increasing St. Petersburg’s median household income by 25% and decreasing the city’s poverty rate by 14%.   Jocelyn Howard, the Grow Smarter Program Manager, stated that the plan brings to […]

The economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to be $16 trillion or roughly 90% of the annual GDP of the U.S. The largest drop in active business owners ever recorded occurred from February-April 2020 with the number plummeting by 22% or 3.3 million. Businesses owned by people of color were especially hit hard. Black-owned businesses experienced a 41% drop in business activity, […]

Unconscious, implicit racial bias—rather than individual, White supremacist action—plays a role in nearly every stage of a person’s life.  Americans, including people of color themselves, hold a range of unconscious biases against people of color. However, research on mindfulness-based interventions provides grounds for optimism and potential long-term solutions. Mindfulness Provides Grounds for Optimism Mindfulness can […]

In the U.S., 25% of all renters are severely rent-burdened. In Florida, that percentage is 21%. But when we look at the data by census tract in Pinellas County, there are several communities—mostly comprised of people of color—that are up to 91.5% severely rent-burdened. People of color in these communities disproportionately spend at least 30% of their income on rent and most spend over 50%. Upscale development, rent spikes, and stagnant wages continue to cause barriers for equitable growth in Pinellas County.  Beyond shelter, […]