SAVI Talks Indianapolis Racial Equity Report Card

Indianapolis is a racially and ethnically diverse city. According to the 2021 Census, just over half of Indianapolis residents identify as white. The other 50 percent identify as one or many of the various racial and ethnic identities that make up our neighborhoods and communities.

These populations of color are growing quickly. For example, people identifying as two or more races increased by 191% in the last decade, following national trends. Furthermore, the National Equity Atlas projects that around 70 percent of Marion County residents will be non-white by 2050, one of the highest projected percentages for any county in the Midwest. Some of this growth has been driven by an increase in the number of people selecting multiple races on census forms, but growth has also been strong among people who identify as Black, Hispanic, or Asian.

As with most diverse communities in America, significant disparities have developed over time. Historic racist redlining policies, “White Flight”, inequitable resource allocation, and more have all contributed to a situation where race is a dividing between “haves” and “have-nots” on many important indicators. This project is an attempt to track those disparities over time to both shine a light on the many areas for improvement but also the areas where progress has been made.

Join us June 20 as we share findings from our analysis of where Indianapolis stands as far as equity in the economy such as poverty, unemployment, and labor force participation; access to transportation, broadband internet access, smartphone access, and fresh food; health; housing; education; environment; and justice.