Closing Equity Gaps in DC’s Wards and Neighborhoods
Published: November 15, 2018
Updated July 25, 2019; added a new broadband indicator and revised indicators from the American Community Survey to reflect the most recent data available (2013–17 data).
In an equitable DC, every resident would have the opportunity to prosper. But decades of discriminatory policies and practices have created inequities by ward, neighborhood, and race and ethnicity. Public, private, and nonprofit interventions have narrowed these gaps, but more needs to be done to level the playing field.
This tool shows what it would take to improve equity across wards and neighborhoods on 17 key indicators. Select different areas of the District to compare or set your own goals for equity.
The example below compares the share of adults with a postsecondary degree in Ward 7 with the share in DC overall—and shows how many more adults need degrees to close the gap.
in an equitable DC
Community members can use this information when talking with public officials about their neighborhood’s needs. Service providers and funders can use this tool to think about the scope and scale of their work and what more is needed to advance equity. We hope this tool can guide the policies and actions of policymakers, city leaders, residents, nonprofits, and others working together to reduce inequities in DC and ensure that everyone has the chance to thrive.
Equity indicators are measures of community well-being.