The Story behind the
Numbers
By Albert Kelly
Recently, I received
demographic information- a data “snap shot” -showing different things like
median age, household size, unemployment rate, income, etc. The information,
generated by Rutgers’s Walter Rand Institute of Public Affairs, came with no
back story, just some straight numbers of the sort used by academics and policy
makers.
The more I examined this
info, the more I realized that within these numbers, there really is a story to
be told about our community; a story that speaks to some of our challenges and
opportunities, but a story that also contains a bit of a warning.
To begin with, there was
the stuff you would expect to see and it is pretty standard stuff. We have just
over 25,000 residents and approximately 58% are males, while the average or
“median” age of our population is 30.2 years. We are becoming a young community
with roughly 26.9% of our population being 18 or younger.
Our median household
income is approximately $36,700 while the per capita income is just over
$13,600. The “median” basically means that half of our households earn more
than $36,700 and half earn less; while “per capita” is focused on the
individual as compared to a household.
Within the numbers, there
were a few other stats to consider. In 2013, only 30% of eligible voters cast
ballots on Election Day and truth be told, only 45% were actually eligible to
do so.
That means more than half
of us who can vote are not registered to vote and most of us who are registered
to vote don’t show up when it’s time to. As I’ve said in the past, to the point
where people are tired of hearing it; we as a community are easily ignored if
we stay on the sidelines.
When it comes to decisions
about projects, investments, state aid, and anything else that can affect our
city, the fact that we don’t show up to vote means we get less consideration.
In a perfect world, “need” would likely be the deciding factor.
But this isn’t a perfect
world and it’s only those who insist on being heard- those who wield the power
of the ballot- that get consideration. While perhaps only 30% of us show up on
Election Day, everyone wants to scream and shout throughout the year about how
bad things are or about not getting their fair share. But noise alone doesn’t
get it done.
That’s why I strongly
encourage all of our residents, regardless of which party or candidate you
support, to show up and vote. It is the only way that elected officials and
decision makers up and down the food chain can know that you’re listening, that
you care, and that your needs and concerns can’t simply be ignored.
Beyond our presence or
absence on Election Day, one other stat caught my attention; a mere 2.3% of our
residents have a graduate and/or professional degree and according to the
State’s School Performance Report, the percentage of those graduating with a
high school diploma stands at 67%
Part of our growth or
success as a community is connected to the achievements or indifference of our
individual members. It is easy to pass these off as just numbers on a page; 67%
or 2.3% or 30%, but these numbers represent something real.
People may debate what
that something is, but for me those stats mean a lot of potential that may never
be realized; young people who decided to walk away before ever really getting
started- perhaps the not-so-young who have struggled mightily to get by because
they walked away years ago- people
who’ve given up on some level.
But that can’t be the last
word, because there’s things that are within our power to do; like showing up
on Election Day to vote; ensuring that we are a presence and that we must be
factored into the larger decisions that impact our community and our lives.
Like making certain that
our teens get a diploma as one brick in a larger wall of achievement that we
must help them build, not only for themselves as individuals, but for the
future growth and well-being of our community.
The “I don’t care” or “it
doesn’t matter” mindset behind voter turnout stats and graduation stats is one
and the same; it’s also a warning that it’s time to change the story behind
those numbers