Winnebago County
Boosting Upward Mobility in Winnebago County is a planning process to boost upward mobility from poverty and reduce racial inequities in our community. This planning process utilizes data from Urban Institute's Boosting Upward Mobility from Poverty and Advancing Equity project to identify key racial and ethnic disparities and barriers to boosting upward mobility from poverty in our community.
We launched this process because Winnebago County is falling behind on indicators that demonstrate how likely someone in our community is to advance out of poverty. We are using this opportunity to assess systems in our community against Urban Institute’s Mobility Metrics and identify weaknesses or gaps. This project will not duplicate planning already being done by our local government.
Working with nonprofit, business, philanthropic, anchor institutions, and faith-based leaders in our community, we will publish a Mobility Action Plan that plots a new course forward and addresses the systems and barriers to advancement in our community.
We have obtained the full support of Winnebago County Chairman Joe Chiarelli and City of Rockford Mayor Thomas McNamara to create our Mobility Action Plan. Both have also pledged support, partnership and advocacy in this effort, as well as staff members to serve on the Team and sub-committee. Additionally, our recommendations will be championed through the appropriate staff members and committees at the City and County level to implementation.
Data that has helped to inform our process includes the following:
Upward Mobility Data Dashboard
City of Rockford & Winnebago County Metrics
The Upward Mobility Data Dashboard helps people understand key conditions affecting upward mobility from poverty and racial equity in communities. The dashboard provides Mobility Metrics data for 24 predictors. The predictors are indicators that are strongly associated with upward mobility, according to the Upward Mobility Framework’s three-part definition of the term that encompasses long-term economic success, dignity and belonging, and power and autonomy. The predictors fall within one of five pillars, which represent supports people need from their communities to achieve upward mobility.
Distressed Communities Index
City of Rockford Data
Running the data for each zip code in Rockford, Illinois, allowed us to see how it ranks on the Distressed Communities Index. Out of the eight zip codes that comprise the city, four of them ranked as distressed, two were at risk, one was mid-tier, and one was comfortable. None ranked as prosperous. The four zip codes that ranked as distressed made up 44% of the overall population, while just 8% of the city’s population fell into the ranking of comfortable.
Running the data for each zip code in Winnebago County allowed us to see how it ranks on the Distressed Communities Index. Out of the 17 zip codes that comprise the County, four of them ranked as distressed, two are at risk, four are mid-tier, four are comfortable., and three are prosperous. The four zip codes that ranked as distressed made up 28% of the overall population, 20% are at-risk, 30% of the population are mid-tier, 10% are comfortable and 12% of the County’s population falls into the ranking of prosperous.
United Way ALICE Report
Winnebago County
In Winnebago County 26% of households are ALICE households, with another 14% of households in poverty. ALICE is an acronym for asset limited, income constrained, and employed, and it represents the growing number of families who are unable to afford the basics of housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care, and technology.
