King County, Wash. releases “first of its kind” report on equity and social justice

SEATTLE, Wash. – King County recently released its inaugural Equity and Social Justice Report, which highlights what the county is doing annually to promote fairness and opportunity for its residents and how its government is integrating the “fair and just” principle in its daily work and decision making.

Recognizing that race, income and language spoken are major predictors of where King County residents live.  Key findings demonstrate that among its neighborhoods, the life expectancy average varies as much as nine years, between 77 and 86 years of age.

The report also finds that households of color are more likely than King County as a whole to spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.  Those living in low-income and more racially diverse neighborhoods have also experienced the largest declines in home values.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies applauded county officials  for releasing the report, which it called the “first of its kind in the country” and said the county was taking “bold steps to identify and eliminate inequities in the county that are based on skin color, place of residence and income.”

King County is part of Place Matters, a Joint Center initiative, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to build the capacity of community leaders to address social, economic and environmental conditions in communities that shape health and health outcomes. 

Download the report for more findings.