Equity in Economic Opportunity
SAVI Talks - March 25, 2021Building on research by Harvard’s Raj Chetty and his team, we are developing new insights and highlighting findings about opportunity in Indianapolis neighborhoods. The average child born into a high-income family in Indianapolis earned $50,000 in household income when they were about 35. Children born to low-income families grew up to earn $27,000.
- Indianapolis’ level of opportunity for low-income children is lower than all but two of the largest U.S. cities. Only Atlanta and Charlotte have worse outcomes than Indianapolis.
- The average Black child born in Indianapolis earns $9,000 less than the average White child. There is a spatial disparity too: In many neighborhoods, children who grew up there earn less than $20,000 per year. In other neighborhoods, children born at the same income level grow up to earn $35,000 or more.
- Neighborhoods that are segregated clearly have lower opportunity outcomes for children. People born into Redlined neighborhoods have less economic opportunity, even when controlling for their parents’ income.
Community Trends Report
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Authors
Sharon Kandris
Associate Director,
The Polis Center
Jay Colbert,
Data Manager,
The Polis Center
Jeramy Townsley,
Visiting Research Analyst,
The Polis Center
Matt Nowlin,
Research Analyst,
The Polis Center
SAVI Talks Panelists
Patrice Duckett
Exec. Director
Fay Biccard Glick Crooked Creek Neighborhood Center
Amy Nelson
Exec. Director
Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana
Pamela Ross
VP of Opportunity, Equity & Inclusion
Central Indiana Community Foundation
SAVI Talks Moderator
Jill Sheridan
Health & Science Reporter
Indiana Public Broadcasting, WFYI
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