What does it mean for conditions to be equitable? Equity is about just and fair inclusion into a society in which all have a fair chance to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential (Policy Link). It means that people are not held back from reaching their potential because of social conditions, systems, and policies that make it difficult to live good lives. Racism, poverty, living in certain neighborhoods, gender, and stigma all can lead to poor well-being outcomes. Communities that are equitable strive to put into place the social conditions, systems, and policies that address these harms in order to allow everyone to contribute to their full potential and help the whole community to flourish.
Other Interesting Measures
INCOME INEQUALITY
- Relative disparity in poverty rates: Index value 0-1, with 0 being perfect equality, includes white vs. Hispanic & black. Source: Census.
EMPLOYMENT INEQUALITY
- Relative disparity in unemployment rates between total population and disabled population, higher values reflect more disparity. Source: Census.
EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
- Relative disparity in population with Bachelor’s Degree+, index ranges 0-1, with 1 being more disparity, includes white vs. Hispanic & black. Source: Census.
HEALTH EQUITY
- Relative disparity in pollution exposure, index ranges 0-100, with 100 being more disparity, includes white vs. Hispanic, black & other. Source: EPA.
YEARS OF LIFE GAINED
- This is an improvement measure of Premature Death. It can be calculated either by directly multiplying the average life expectancy improvement of what you did with the total population that was helped. In cases where a death has been avoided (e.g., when an overdose is prevented), it can also be calculated by subtracting the age at which death was avoided from 75. These can then be added up across your population to get to total years of life gained. Source: CDC NVSS via County Health Ranking.