Our new analysis highlights how communities of color and low-income communities not only suffered the greatest job losses, but are also most likely to be behind on rent.

By Jamila Henderson

The Covid-19 pandemic and economic shutdown brought about an unprecedented rise in unemployment in the Bay Area and across the country. While some people have returned to work, unemployment remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, and the economic burden of unemployment and lost wages continues to weigh on many families and their ability to pay rent and other necessities. This is especially true for the region’s most vulnerable residents who are disproportionately low-income people of color and immigrants (especially undocumented workers). Typical data sources used to report on the state of equity are often lagged by several years. This analysis addresses the current crisis by including recent indicators on the state of equitable recovery in the Bay Area region and across the state. 

Latinx and Black Workers Face Greater Health and Economic Risks Working Essential Jobs During the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed long-standing racial segregation within the regional workforce. Workers of color are overrepresented among essential occupations—such as grocery store workers, healthcare professionals, bus drivers, and janitors—placing them at far greater risk of exposure to the virus. Workers of color are also disproportionately represented in lower-wage jobs that are less likely to provide benefits like health insurance, paid sick and family leave, and disability insurance. 

Black Workers, Women, and Workers with Less Education Suffered the Greatest Job Losses

The pandemic also brought about significant racial and gender inequities in unemployment as illustrated by research from the California Policy Lab. Women across the state face higher unemployment rates and have disproportionately left the labor force to assume childcare responsibilities. Between March 2020 and February 2021, one third of women in the labor force statewide applied for regular unemployment insurance, compared with 27 percent of men. About 40 percent of California’s Black workers filed for regular unemployment insurance during the pandemic, the highest rate of any group and more than one-and-a-half times the rate of White workers (24 percent). Virtually all Black workers in the state with no post-secondary education filed for regular unemployment insurance (95 percent).

Bay Area PPP Loan Recipients Tend to be Large Employers, Leaving Small Businesses (Especially Those Owned by People of Color) Behind

An Associated Press analysis of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) recipients across the nation revealed that businesses owned by people of color were last in line to receive PPP loans in 2020 because of barriers accessing the program’s banking institutions, or in some instances, multiple rejections or no response at all from banks. The analysis also showed that White business owners were more likely to secure loans early. Loan recipients in the Bay Area tended to be businesses with many employees, and most small businesses, especially those owned by Black, Latinx, Native American, and mixed-race owners, are single-person businesses with no additional employees. 

Between January 2020 and February 2021, small business revenue across the region took a hit, and many businesses closed their doors permanently. Only Napa County saw an increase in small business revenue, but also a 25 percent drop in the number of businesses open. The decline was most severe in San Francisco, where only about half of businesses were open and revenues declined 56 percent. 

Tenants Behind on Rent are Overwhelmingly Low-Wage Workers of Color Who’ve Suffered Job Losses During the Pandemic

The impact of the economic shutdown has been especially harsh for vulnerable renters. Facing job or income losses, most renters will do what it takes to pay their rent and keep a roof over their head, even if it means accumulating debt for other unpaid bills. Even so, it is inevitable that some of these renters will fall behind on rent without unemployment benefits and strong renter protections in place. People of color and low-income renters have been disproportionately impacted by the recession and are more likely to be behind on rent. 73 percent of those behind on rent earn less than $75,000 per year, and 70 percent are people of color.

The magnitude of the problem is great. An estimated 135,000 Bay Area households—12 percent of renter households are behind on rent. Absent strong worker and renter protections, they could face eviction and indebtedness. Collectively, these renters owe an estimated $747 million in rent debt, an average of over $5,500 per household behind on rent. 

Economic Recovery Begins by Prioritizing Racial and Economic Equity 

In the Bay Area, as elsewhere, the coronavirus and its economic fallout have disproportionately impacted the very same people who were on the economic margins before the pandemic, including Black, Latinx, and Native American residents, low-wage workers, and immigrant communities (especially undocumented workers). For the region to recover and thrive, policymakers must prioritize racial equity. This includes explicitly naming racial equity as a goal, prioritizing investments in historically underserved communities, building community ownership of land and housing, connecting unemployed and low-wage workers with good jobs, and supporting businesses owned by people of color and immigrants. Learn more here.

April 30, 2021

Dear Atlas users,

As the Bay Area’s vaccination campaign and re-opening plans continue to ramp up, the Atlas team is working to share timely data and analyses to support an equitable recovery that centers the needs of low-income residents and people of color. Here are some updates:

You’re Invited: Introducing the Racial Equity Data Lab

The National Equity Atlas is America’s most detailed report card on racial and economic equity – and now we’re democratizing our data even further to help you build your own custom Atlas-powered data dashboards. Join us on May 6 at 12 pm PT / 3 pm ET for the launch of the Racial Equity Data Lab, a new space on the Atlas where you can create unique data displays, dashboards, and maps. The Lab has everything you need to tell your community’s equity story using Atlas data: ready-to-use datasets, data visualization basics, and a step-by-step guide to get you started. We’ll also share a starter dashboard focused on the importance of closing racial wage gaps: just six in 10 Latinx immigrant workers in the Bay Area earn at least $15/hour, compared to more than nine in 10 White workers. Join this webinar to hear more about the Lab, how we’re using it to support equity campaigns, and how to create custom data visualizations for your community. Register now!

Our New Dashboard Tracks Covid Impacts to Support Strong Renter Protections

This month we released a new data dashboard, produced in partnership with the Right to the City Alliance, to equip equity advocates and policymakers with regularly updated local data on the extent of rent debt and the characteristics of renters affected by it. In the five-county Bay Area, 58,000 households owe an average of $5,300 each in rent. About 88 percent of those behind on rent are people of color, and nine in 10 lost employment income during the pandemic. See our accompanying analysis for more insights into the data and the policy solutions that can protect impacted renters.

Sharing the Power of Equity Data and Framing with Tableau Users

We were excited to share our Equity Data Hub and Rent Debt dashboards with the San Francisco Tableau User Group this past month. We presented a live demo of the Bay Area Equity Atlas, and our partners at Tableau Foundation and Lovelytics presented on the Equity Data Hub and the development of Tableau dashboards using Atlas data. You can find a recording of the meeting here.

Equity Data On the Road

We continue to share the Atlas to advance equity across the region. On March 25, we conducted a joint training with the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, and on April 8 we led a training for UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program students. On April 28, the Atlas Team also presented equity data to inform the recovery efforts of the Contra Costa County Measure X Community Advisory Board, which is developing a list of county needs and priorities for Measure X, the half-cent, general countywide sales tax passed by voters last November.

Atlas Data Informs Efforts to Build an Inclusive Recovery in the Bay

On May 18, the Commonwealth Club will host a virtual event on Building an Inclusive Recovery Across the Bay Area. The Atlas team will share data on the state of equity in the region, and Fred Blackwell of the San Francisco Foundation will moderate a panel with Tomiquia Moss from All Home and Chris Iglesias from the Unity Council. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting event, which is free and open to the public.

In the News

This month, USA Today cited the Atlas in a story on the impacts of Covid-19 in Native American communities. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on our data on low-income and very-low income families in the Bay Area. Mercury News and The Press Democrat both highlighted our rent debt analysis in their coverage of Bay Area rental assistance programs. Finally, The Daily Journal shared insights from our work on the diversity of Bay Area elected officials.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

March 15, 2021

Dear Atlas users,

As we mark a full year since the beginning of the Bay’s shelter-in-place ordinance, our neighbors who already faced the burdens of structural racism and extreme inequality have been most impacted by the pandemic’s health and economic impacts. The Atlas team continues to partner with local advocates and policy leaders to bring equity to the forefront of our region’s recovery. Here are a few highlights:

Bay Area Renters Face Mounting Debt
Following up on our eviction risk analyses for Bay Area counties, today we released a new analysis and fact sheet describing rent debt and eviction risk in the Bay Area region. Using Census Household Pulse Survey data for the region from late January, we find that 137,500 renter households are experiencing rent shortfall and potentially face eviction if not covered by an effective eviction moratorium. We estimate that they owe about $488 million in debt.

Racial Equity Data Hub Analyzes Black Prosperity in the Bay Area
Last month, the Tableau Foundation launched its Racial Equity Data Hub, in partnership with the National Equity Atlas. The Hub is designed to provide data and tools needed to understand racism in all of its forms, and to enable movement leaders to effectively use data to advocate for change. The Atlas team worked with Tableau expert Chantilly Jaggernauth of Lovelytics to produce two visualizations for the Hub. Our visualization “How is the Black population doing in the Bay Area?” presents indicators of economic and political inclusion, education, and justice for the region’s Black population. Tableau invites community members to participate in shaping the Hub’s future growth through this forum.

Atlas Findings Power Policy Change in Contra Costa County
We were happy to participate in the Contra Costa Budget Justice Coalition’s presentation to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on equity and racial justice issues with the pandemic on February 9. Contra Costa County has the most households that are behind on their water bills of all counties in the region: about 30,595 households have water debt. The presentation prompted local officials to begin plans to allocate aid to households with water arrearages.

New California Eviction Risk Data Released
In partnership with Housing Now!, the Atlas team released an updated analysis of rent debt in California. We found that over 814,000 households were behind on rent in January, or 14 percent of all renter households. Renters owe an estimated $2.4 billion in rent debt — or $2,900 per household. Immediate action, including debt forgiveness and stronger eviction protections, is crucial to ensure renters with low income and renters of color are included in an equitable recovery. Find the analysis here.

Sharing Atlas Research at UC Berkeley Housing Solutions Event
On March 12, the Berkeley Opportunity Lab hosted an afternoon of talks with Bay Area housing experts aimed at generating new insights and solutions to the challenges of housing supply and affordability, homelessness and displacement, and the question of how to ensure broad and equitable economic development. Sarah Treuhaft, Vice President of Research at PolicyLink, shared our rent debt research at the event alongside Senator Scott Weiner, and panelists from SPUR, TechEquity Collaborative, and UC Berkeley.

Atlas in the News
Media outlets continue to cover our rent debt and eviction risk research, including San Jose Spotlight, CBS San Francisco, San Luis Obispo Tribune, KSRO, and KFBK. Find a full list of our media coverage here.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team 
 

 

Dear Atlas users,

We’ve had an exciting month, from launching the Racial Equity Data Lab to equipping housing advocates across the country with new data on the Covid-driven rent debt crisis. As summer kicks off, we remain focused on producing research and data tools to advance an equitable recovery and shared prosperity. Here are some updates:

Clearing $19 Billion in Back Rent Urgently Needed for Equitable Recovery

This week, we released new national and local data on our Rent Debt Dashboard, produced in partnership with with Right to the City Alliance. As of the end of April, 5.8 million renters — overwhelmingly low-income households of color who’ve lost employment income during the pandemic — owe nearly $19 billion in back rent. With the federal eviction moratorium scheduled to expire at the end of June, clearing this debt is urgently needed to prevent an eviction crisis and make equitable recovery possible. In California, our data was included in a report from Housing NOW, BARHII, and PolicyLink about how the state can strengthen its rental assistance programs. See the data for your community on the dashboard and check out our updated analysis. 

Rent Debt Data Supports “Cancel the Rent” Campaign in Oregon

In partnership with Oregon’s Community Alliance of Tenants, the Atlas team released a new fact sheet on rent debt and households behind on rent in Oregon. Even as economic recovery is picking up, in Oregon one in 10 renter households, many of whom are people of color and have low incomes, still owe a total of $170 million in back rent. These renters were the hardest hit by pandemic shutdowns and layoffs, underscoring the continued need for renter protections and rent cancellation as part of an equitable recovery. The new data were presented at the Oregon Cancel the Rent Digital Town Hall alongside stories and learnings from tenant leaders. You can find a recording of the town hall here.

Getting Started in the Racial Equity Data Lab: Create Your Own $15/Hour Fact Sheet

Last month, we launched the Racial Equity Data Lab, a new space on the Atlas where you can create unique data displays, dashboards, and maps. The Lab has everything you need to tell your community’s equity story using Atlas data: ready-to-use datasets, data visualization basics, and a step-by-step guide to get you started. You can watch the recording from our introductory webinar here.

Join us this Thursday, June 3, at 12 pm PT for the second installment of our three-part webinar series, “Getting Started in the Racial Equity Data Lab: Create Your Own $15/Hour Fact Sheet.” Through this series, the Atlas team and our partners at Tableau and Lovelytics will walk you through each step of creating your own $15/hour fact sheet, from accessing the data to publishing a custom visualization that you can download, share, and use to advance equitable recovery strategies in your community. If you missed Part 1: Exploring Your Data, you can watch the recording or follow the instructions in the step-by-step guide on the Lab to update the data for your fact sheet. Click here to register for Part 2: Designing Your Data Viz.

Atlas Team Presents to House Committee on Ways and Means

On May 21, the Atlas team shared the National Equity Atlas with the Ways and Means Committee, the chief tax-writing committee of the US House of Representatives on a panel titled, “Measuring What we Value: Bridging Gaps in Data and Reporting on Race and Ethnicity”that included experts in disaggregated data Randall Akee, Nancy Lopez Ninez Ponce, and Rhonda Sharpe. The Committee recently created a Racial Equity Initiative to address the role of racism in perpetuating health and economic inequities. The Atlas team shared our work to highlight the power of disaggregated data to advance equitable, targeted solutions.

You’re Invited: Join the Measurable Equity One Year Challenge

Join Clear Impact and the National Equity Atlas team for a webinar on June 15 (11 am PT / 2 pm ET) to learn more about the Measurable Equity One Year Challenge. Clear Impact designed this challenge to help government, non-profit, and foundation leaders assess, plan, and advance racial equity using a suite of free resources and tools, including a Racial Equity Scorecard powered by Atlas data. Register here.

In the News

This month, U.S. News, The Intercept, Duluth News Tribune, Governing, The Daily Californian, MPR News, Berkeley News, Minn Post, and AL.com all cited findings from our Rent Debt Dashboard, on both the national and local level. StreetsBlog cited our commute time indicator, which reveals that Black workers have 12 percent longer commute times than their White counterparts. Finally, Reuters covered the launch of our Racial Equity Data Lab.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)