County leadership guides shared prosperity

Key Takeaways

There’s no chicken-or-egg debate: Economic mobility is not just a byproduct of growth — it is the result of intentional county governance.

County governments shape the growth of their economies through guidance, assistance and investment. And county leaders often have the vantage point to note where the private sector has missed a spot. 

County leaders often examine how to best drive economic growth so that communities attract and retain long-standing residents and industry investments that nurture local pride, prosperity and increased quality of life. Planning and economic development experts are often at the center of envisioning and mapping out the pathways toward these goals for the community. 

“I have a philosophy in Lake County and many other rural communities,” said Lake County, Calif. Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, chair of the NACo Health Policy Steering Committee. 

“Poverty is an unfortunate ongoing conversation to deal with, and rather than providing help and assistance to help those that are struggling, how do we do economic development and economic mobility to really provide those tools to the individuals to be able to raise themselves up?” Sabatier said, adding “because government can only do so much, and we definitely can’t do everything to make people deal with the poverty that we have.”

Integrating economic mobility goals into planning and economic development strengthens access to shared prosperity for the whole community. Understanding the distinction between economic development and economic mobility is crucial to shaping and sustaining long-term economic growth. 

Understanding economic mobility

The goals of economic development concentrate primarily on attracting business, supporting infrastructure that facilitates commerce and meeting industry’s needs for workers. Economic mobility, however, shifts the focus to individuals and families. Economic mobility is defined as the ability of individuals or families to improve their economic status — measured through income, wealth, education or quality of life — over time, across generations. Upward economic mobility ensures residents can climb the economic ladder regardless of their starting point.

Counties remove barriers

Counties are frontline drivers of opportunity. Typically, they determine land use policies, deliver essential services and convene stakeholders. They can:

Use data to drive decisions through disaggregating data by demographics, household income, employment status and geography to identify opportunities to target resources more efficiently.

Foster cross-sector partnerships with schools, nonprofits, employers, community groups and philanthropies to address root causes.

Remove barriers through zoning reform, expanded access to affordable housing and education, and ensure county contracts and services reach residents and make a difference in their economic outlook.

Urban counties

In urban counties, residents generally have access to higher education, transportation and employment opportunities. County governments leverage these resources to ensure that all residents benefit from them.

• Mecklenburg County, N.C. used Opportunity Insights’ Opportunity Atlas to target investments in under-resourced neighborhoods and expanded early childhood education and small business support in those areas.
• King County, Wash. embedded equity impact assessments into all policy decisions and expanded apprenticeships and affordable housing near transit networks.
• Alameda County, Calif. invested in cooperative business ownership and local hiring ordinances and channeled procurement dollars into historically excluded communities. procurement dollars into historically excluded communities.

Rural counties 

While large metropolitan counties often have more resources, rural and lower population counties also demonstrate that strategic, data driven planning can deliver measurable gains in economic mobility.

• Union County, Ore. (a participant in NACo’s Rural Leaders for Economic Mobility initiative) used Urban Institute’s Upward Mobility Data Dashboard to obtain disaggregated data to identify neighborhoods with the lowest economic outcomes. Workforce pipelines in healthcare, advanced manufacturing and sustainable forestry plus microgrants for small businesses have increased participation in training and growing local enterprises.
• Dubuque County, Iowa aligned workforce and housing policy by targeting affordable housing in neighborhoods with a lot of public investment and creating workforce training programs. That added up to greater participation in apprenticeships and lower eviction rates.
• Boone County, Mo. built a public data platform linking health, housing and workforce datasets to identify “opportunity deserts” and expand broadband into under-served areas. These measures improved access to online education and boosted job placement for residents without four-year degrees.
• Garrett County, Md. developed a social services dashboard to coordinate wraparound support for families facing multiple barriers, cutting down on service duplication and improving long-term employment outcomes. The dashboard data is updated in real time.
• Carteret County, N.C. used labor market analysis to diversify its coastal economy into ecotourism and marine science industries by offering microgrants to startup businesses and creating training programs that have increased youth workforce retention.

Results for America’s Economic Mobility Catalog contains dozens of case studies to guide program design and implementation.

Resources

Economic Mobility Catalog 

Results for America Economic Mobility Catalog has more than 50 strategies and nearly 200 specific practices and programs that have demonstrated positive results in rigorous evaluations. The catalog synthesizes the relevant research, identifies best practices in implementation and aggregates additional resources for users interested in learning more.

The resource also contains dozens of case studies that focus on how evidence-based strategies are successfully implemented in cities and counties across the country.

Green County, Ill. Recovery Corps

In a rural county of nearly 11,500 people, Greene County, Ill., is breaking the cycle of substance use and recidivism through its Recovery Corps Program. Individuals with persistent substance use-related challenges receive targeted support to improve their lives and steer clear of criminal activity. 

Sixty-four percent of participants increased their Recovery Capital Score, which measures progress individuals make across various dimensions of recovery, including mental and physical health, housing and employment and other social supports. 

The program’s success is attributed to staff with lived experiences who meet one-on-one with program participants to help set goals and connect them to the appropriate services. Additionally, the program strengthened coordination of services for participants through creating bridges between law enforcement, the county jail and drug court, local nonprofits, schools and employers. 

Upward Mobility Data Dashboard 

Urban’s Upward Mobility Data Dashboard provides Mobility Metrics data for 24 predictors that measure progress on economic mobility goals. The predictors fall into five areas that support people to achieve upward mobility including rewarding work, high quality education, opportunity-rich and inclusive neighborhoods, healthy environment and access to good health care, and responsive and just governance. 

Every county (as well as 480 cities) can access its own dashboard of these 24 predictors. This easily accessed, visual data helps county leaders to measure key indicators of economic opportunity for county residents, set priorities to improve outcomes and monitor progress.

San Mateo County, Calif.'s Equity Dashboard

Using Urban’s Upward Mobility Data Dashboard as a model, San Mateo County, Calif.’s Shared Prosperity Coordinating Council (SPCC) is in the process of building its own equity dashboard. By customizing Urban’s dashboard to the local context, the council is ensuring its work is aligned with national best practices while still being responsive to the specific needs and disparities of San Mateo County. 

The Equity Dashboard will be a dynamic data tool for tracking key indicators and measuring progress on economic mobility goals. This dashboard will integrate disaggregated data about San Mateo County to highlight demographic and geographic disparities and help the county ensure interventions are targeted where they are needed most. 

By visualizing key metrics, the dashboard will empower stakeholders to make data-informed decisions and track progress and accountability. The dashboard is currently being tested and will be published later this year.

Opportunity Atlas 

The Opportunity Atlas maps economic mobility data by county boundaries as well as internal census tracks to help county policy and program leaders identify neighborhoods with the greatest needs or the highest opportunity for upward economic mobility. 

The Atlas allows users to filter data by demographic subgroups such as race, sex and parent income. This capability within the Opportunity Atlas helps pinpoint not only where opportunity exists, but also for whom. 

Jackson County, Mo.'s affordable housing siting

Through participation in NACo’s Counties for Housing Solutions program, Jackson County, Mo. used the Opportunity Atlas to identify a site to build affordable housing. 

As a result of its analysis, Jackson County is investing in site preparation for surplus land located near Kauffman Stadium. The goal is to convert this underutilized space into new housing opportunities that support local economic development. Additionally, the county is working on a plan to develop county-owned sites closer to Downtown Kansas City.