The 2018 report, published by Communities Foundation of Texas, the Thomson Family Foundation and Prosperity Now (formerly CFED) showed a community marked by widespread financial insecurity, high levels of asset poverty and subprime credit, and huge disparities in the economic conditions among Dallas households of color.
Since the initial report in 2012, the population of Dallas has grown and financial security has improved in many ways for Dallas residents:
- Unemployment has been cut in half (down from 9.8% to 4.7%).
- Access to health insurance has increased widely across the region, with improvements particularly for low-income residents.
- There are higher rates of adults with post-secondary degrees. The percentage of consumers with subprime credit has fallen sharply.
Despite this progress, many households are still struggling to make ends meet — particularly in saving for emergencies and building wealth.
- Nearly half of Dallas households still don’t have enough in savings to make ends meet at the poverty level for three months in the event of a financial emergency.
- Homeownership has not recovered since the recession, and overall homeownership rates have continued to fall since 2012.
- Disparities in income and asset attainment by race and ethnicity remains a significant issue in Dallas, where 71% of the population are people of color.
In a Prosperity Now analysis of the financial health of the 64 largest cities in America, Dallas ranked 53rd, the lowest rank of any major city in Texas, including Austin (17th), Arlington (19th), Fort Worth (25th), El Paso (36th) and Houston (50th).
2012 DALLAS PROFILE
The 2012 Dallas Profile launched conversations about solutions for working families. Among local funders, service providers and government officials, the 2018 updated report highlights several of the programs that launched or expanded across the Dallas metro area since that time and the outcomes they have helped families achieve.
We hope that this updated data can help continue those conversations across North Texas so that all residents achieve lasting financial stability and prosperity.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
View Prosperity Now’s Dallas Racial Wealth Divide Report
View Prosperity Now’s presentation slides from our October 2018 Conversation on Advancing Economic Opportunity in Dallas
View the photos from our October 2018 Advancing Economic Opportunity in Dallas event
Watch the recorded live stream videos from our October 2018 Advancing Economic Opportunity in Dallas event:
- 2018 Assets and Opportunity Profile for Dallas / Racial Wealth Divide
- Moving Beyond the Data: Community-based Solutions to Address the Wealth Gap
- Five Years of KERA’s One Crisis Away
- Diving Into What’s Working in North Texas
Want to learn more about CFT’s focus on Economic Security?
At Communities Foundation of Texas, we are deeply committed to making a profound and measurable impact in the economic success across the North Texas community. If you have questions on our work, or would like to learn how you could invest alongside us, please contact us.
