On this episode of the Forgottonia Project, we summarize what the 2020 census reveals about Forgottonia. This episode serves as the podcast edition of our previous post analyzing census data: Forgottonia Profile: The 2020 Census.
CHS students helped create a mega document that summarizes important demographic, social, and economic patterns that persist throughout Forgottonia (check out the doc linked below). Explore more census data by visiting the US 2020 Census Bureau. Although the census is mostly numbers, we consider the story these numbers reveal about our community. Let us know what you think!
OBJECTIVES:
- Why is the CENSUS important?
- What does the CENSUS data reveal about POPULATION, POVERTY, EDUCATION, and RACE in FORGOTTONIA?
- Most importantly, what do these results suggest that we DO?
MAJOR TAKEAWAYS:
- Forgottonia has lost over 30,000 people in the past 10 years.
- All 16 counties in Forgottonia have a median income below the national average
- All 16 counties in Forgottonia are far below the average for adults with Bachelor’s Degrees or higher, but have significantly higher high school achievement compared to the national average.
- The majority of Forgottonia has below-average internet access
- The majority of Forgottonia can be considered aging (above national average for residents age 65 and older).
RESOURCES:
- Forgottonia 2020 Census Data Google Document
- Why We Conduct the Census
- What Redistricting Looks Like In Illinois, an Interactive Map by Project 538
- Rural America Lost Population Over the Past Decade for the First Time in History by Demographer Kenneth Johnson
- The Great Recession
- Institute for Research on Poverty: Many Rural Americans are Still Left Behind
- Mile Markers: Internet for all…Except for Rural Students?
- Internet for All Initiative
The Forgottonia Project 