Lincoln Vital Signs

• Over time, our population has become more diverse, with the percentage of residents of color growing in the past decade.
• When compared with adults, there is an even higher percentage of children (under age 18) identifying with non-white races and ethnicities, indicating that the overall trend toward increasing diversity will continue. This growing diversity can be seen in both our overall population as well as in Lincoln Public Schools enrollment.
• People moving into Lincoln currently drives our population growth; in the past 5 years, the percentage of people moving into Lincoln who identify as one or more non-white racial or ethnic groups has grown.

• People serving on City Boards and Commissions, who are appointed by the Mayor, are representative of the racial and ethnic make-up of the city.
• Measures of racial segregation have been low since 1990 for almost all racial or ethnic groups in Lincoln.
• Workforce participation and employment rates are higher for some racial and ethnic groups than the city-wide average; this is the case for those who identify as Asian, as Latino/a or Hispanic, and as two or more races.
• The majority of Lincoln’s population, across all racial and ethnic groups, have achieved some education after high school.

• Disparities in educational attainment exist.
  • Compared to Lincoln overall, a high rate of adults 25 years of age or older with less than a high school degree exists among Lincoln residents who identify as Latino/a or Hispanic, Asian, Black or African American, and two or more races.
  • Although a majority of Lincoln’s adult population has received at least some college or an Associate’s degree, disparities in education increase for those receiving a Bachelor’s degree or higher; residents who identify as Latino/a or Hispanic, Black or African American, or two or more races have lower rates of receiving a Bachelor’s degree than the Lincoln population overall.
• Black or African American residents, and Native American residents, experience lower employment rates than the Lincoln city-wide average.
• Median household incomes are lower for most non-white households; only white and Asian households have average incomes higher than the Lincoln city-wide average.
• Severe housing cost burden is disproportionately experienced by non-white households.
• Housing wealth is disparately distributed. This is likely related to lower rates of home loan applications, combined with lower home loan approval rates, across all non-white racial or ethnic groups.
• Rates of not having a primary care doctor are substantially higher for Lincoln residents who are Latino/a or Hispanic, Asian or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black or African American, and Native American or Alaska Native.

• Students identifying as racial and ethnic groups that have higher average median household incomes (white and Asian) are more likely than students identifying with other races or ethnicities to:
• Achieve third grade language arts proficiency;
• Be identified for the gifted program;
• Graduate.

The City of Lincoln, Lincoln Public Schools, and many businesses, non-profits, and other organizations currently have programs working to address areas of disparity identified in this report and promote equitable opportunities.