MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
1 %

Black and Hispanic/Latino households earned 29% and 34% below the county median.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING
1 %

Survey respondents agreed or completely agreed with the statement that there was enough affordable housing that is safe and well-kept in their community.

UNEMPLOYMENT
1 %

Total respondents indicated that they or a member of their family had lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

OVERVIEW

Financial insecurity was reported as a priority concern in the majority of focus groups and interviews, with participants indicating that COVID-19 has exacerbated long-standing issues of inequity. There was notable income inequality among certain racial/ethnic groups in Somerset County; Asian and White households reported incomes that were higher than the median household income in Somerset County respectively, while Black and Hispanic/Latino households earned below the county median in 2015-2019.7 During the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate peaked at 12.8% for Somerset County in June 2020.8. And focus group and interview participants described the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on essential front-line workers, lower wage workers, and Latino residents, and how many lost their jobs, either temporarily or permanently.

HOW WE’RE GETTING THERE

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