Report finds widening inequality
Albany is ranked near the bottom of 274 largest municipalities in nation
Albany When it comes to racial segregation and poverty gaps, Albany is one of the worst cities in America for people of color, according to a report from the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research group.
Of the 274 large cities that the institute measured for how adept they were at including low-income and minority residents in the city’s economic prosperity, Albany placed near the bottom at 234. Albany’s ranking plummeted between 2016 and 2013, when it fared better at number 174.
As for the other large New York cities looked at by the Urban Institute, Rochester and Buffalo ranked worse than Albany, at 241 and 249 in the survey, respectively. New York City ranked 189th for racial inclusion nationwide.
Though Albany’s racial diversity has increased throughout the years — around 50 percent of the city’s population are now people of color, compared to 30 percent in the 1980s — the study shows that in nearly every metric of inclusion, Albany fares worse than the national average.
“People have repeatedly pointed out to our local government officials that we’re a deeply unequal city,” said Alice Green, executive director
of The Center for Law and Justice. “They say, ‘This is going on all around the country.’ But the study shows it’s very severe here.”
The Urban Institute’s dashboard was first published in 2018, but updated Sept. 15 with new data. The statistics were crunched largely from U.S. Census data, and racial segregation research done by Brown University.
The rankings looked at income and racial segregation; the percentage of people of color; working-poor families; rent-burdened residents; high school dropouts, and the gap between poverty, education and homeownership rates of minority versus white non-hispanic residents.
The average index score for racial segregation across all cities was 35. The institute pegged Albany with a score of 42, indicating more segregation in the city than there is nationwide.
The racial homeownership gap was 31 percent in Albany, compared to 21 percent across all cities measured.
Albany’s racial poverty gap was 17 percent; the
274 cities averaged at 11 percent.
The average index score for income segregation was 0.11 — and Albany’s is 0.18, one of the highest among all cities included in the study.
“It’s of great concern to see these numbers,” Green said. “It just shows yet again how much inequity exists here.”
Christina Stacy, a senior researcher at the organization, said the report was created in order for cities to have a useful resource to reference.
The institute defines inclusion as the ability “of all residents — particularly those who have been historically excluded — to contribute to, and benefit from, economic prosperity.”
Stacy said the institute hopes city leaders and community organizers
can use the data to identify areas where the city is struggling.
“We’ve heard from cities that have recovered economically … that bold public leadership is really important,” Stacy said. “We’ve also heard that building voice and power with people who haven’t traditionally and historically been included in decision making is super important.”
Stacy said high-ranking cities in the report tend to think of inclusion and economic growth as going hand in hand — not as
alternatives.
“Some people think, ‘ We’ll just grow first and then later worry about inclusion.’ But that really can’t be the way that it is,” Stacy said. “Inclusion and equity has to be central in decision making, particularly at times like this when we’re in a recovery period.”
Green said she hopes this report makes the inequality in the city even more clear.
“We need to acknowledge the historical role of white supremacy, and not only its harmful effects
on people of color, but the general community and the economy,” Green said. “I hope that we seriously pay attention to this data and what it means for the city of Albany.”