| One measure of a community’s health is its economic
viability. Current measures of economic viability, including median
household income, unemployment and poverty rates, expected job growth, and
home values, indicate that, for the most part, DuPage County’s economic
health is quite good. Median income and housing values are high, poverty
rates are low, and, although unemployment is rising, it remains below state
and national levels.
Still, these figures don’t tell the whole story. Median income is indeed
high, but many residents of DuPage County earn well below the median; for
these lower-income workers and their families, affording housing in DuPage
is difficult, if not impossible. Moreover, although the poverty rate is low,
more than 30,000 DuPage residents are living in poverty, and an estimated
3,000 are homeless.
These facts illustrate the importance of looking beyond medians and
averages when assessing a community’s economic health. In general, DuPage
County is a wealthy community, but there are many who are not well off. The
needs of those individuals for economic or social assistance cannot be
ignored if we are to maintain continued good health, economically and
socially. |
