Public Policy Commons^™

Population Growth In Mountain West Cities And Suburbs, 2010-2020, Dielle T. Telada, William E. Brown Jr.

Cities & Metros

COVID-19 altered population growth trends within large cities and the relative growth of cities and suburbs within the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. Brookings senior fellow William H. Frey suggests “that most big cities with populations exceeding 250,000 experienced lower population growth in the year the pandemic began than in the previous year.” This Fact Sheet examines annual growth rates within selected Mountain West metros and suburbs from 2010 and 2020.

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Capacity In Mountain West Metros, Olivia K. Cheche, Ally M. Beckwith, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet highlights data on artificial intelligence (AI) growth in Mountain West metropolitan areas over the last several decades, as originally reported by Mark Muro and Sifan Liu from the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program. The Brookings report examines how various metros across the United States contribute towards AI technology creation and business activity.

Investment Patterns In Mountain West States, Counties, And Nevada Cities 2005-2019, Peter Grema, Zachary Walusek, Katie M. Gilbertson, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

The purpose of this fact sheet is to summarize findings on capital flows across Mountain West states and counties, and within Nevada cities. The “Gauging Investment Patterns across the US” report by the Urban Institute present findings of overall volume of capital deployed, racial equity of investments, and income equity for each respective geographic area. The full report further breaks down these three main categories into 18 other metrics.

Refugee Arrivals In The Mountain West, 2017-2021, Saha Salahi, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet displays data on the influx of refugee arrivals by nation to five Mountain West States: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Refugee Processing Center data, selected from annual reports and limited to the years 2017-2021, are presented.

Startup Businesses In The Mountain West, 2014-2018, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet highlights data on startup businesses in Mountain West states and metropolitan areas, as originally reported by Roofstock’s “U.S. Cities With the Most Startup Businesses” report. Startup businesses are defined as new businesses launched by entrepreneurs that create jobs and spur efficiency and innovation. This report examines the startup formation rate, annual startup formations, annual new jobs created by startups, and jobs created by startups as a percentage of all new jobs within states and metros across the United States.

Homelessness Estimates In The Mountain West, 2020, Saha Salahi, Vanessa Booth, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet summarizes a recent report titled, “The 2020 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress,” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. By synthesizing homelessness vulnerability categories to the Mountain West states, this report offers data for Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Financial Stress In Mountain West Cities And Townships, 2020, Saha Salahi, Kristian Thymianos, Eshaan Vakil, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This factsheet highlights financial stressors facing 16 cities in four Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado Nevada, and New Mexico. The data included are reported in the 2020 “SmartAsset Study” by Ben Geier.

Covid-19: Creative Class Job Loss In The Mountain West, Katie M. Gilbertson, Kelliann Beavers, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet summarizes Mountain West data on creative economy job losses in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, as reported in a recent Brookings report “Lost Art: Measuring COVID-19’s Devastating Impact on America’s Creative Economy.” Richard Florida and Michael Seman discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on job losses in “creative industries, which are comprised of firms and establishments that produce goods and services relating to music, film, design, advertising, fashion, art, and more.”

Student And Teacher Diversity In The Mountain West, Marie A. Falcone, Guadalupe De La Rosa, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet highlights public K-12 teacher and student diversity in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. We explore data from Michael Hansen and Diana Quintero’s “Mountain West states face growing teacher diversity gaps” a 2018 Brookings Institution report. Specifically, we explore the teacher and student population in Mountain West states by race, revealing a disproportionate gap between students of color and teachers of color.

College-Educated Young Adults In The Mountain West, Eshaan Vakil, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines data originally published in “The Young and Restless and the Nation’s Cities,” a report prepared by Joe Cortright for the City Observatory. The original report explores the percentage of college-educated young adults (or individuals aged 25 to 34 with a bachelor’s degree), as well as the percentage these individuals made up of the total population in each metro area between 2000 and 2012. This fact sheet explores data for the following Mountain West places, as reported by the original source:

• Denver CSA (Combined Statistical Area)
• Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ Metro Area
• Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metro Area
• Salt …

2020 Most Dynamic Micropolitans In The Mountain West, Kelliann Beavers, Katie M. Gilbertson, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Cities & Metros

This fact sheet draws from the “Most Dynamic Micropolitans 2020” report released by Heartland Forward, “an institute for economic renewal […] with a mission to improve economic performance in the center of the United States.” In this report, Heartland Forward offers the Most Dynamic Micropolitan Index to analyze the economies of smaller communities for a total of 515 micropolitan areas nationally. This fact sheet includes information on job growth, annual pay growth, and personal income growth for micropolitan areas in the Mountain West region.

Domestic Workers In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Saha Salahi, Katie M. Gilbertson, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr., Eshaan Vakil

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet explores the number of domestic workers employed in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), as originally reported in the Economic Policy Institute’s “Domestic Workers Chartbook.” Data for domestic worker median wages compared to the median wages of nondomestic workers are also included.

America's Best Small Cities In The Mountain West, Katie M. Gilbertson, Kelliann Beavers, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr., Fatma Nasoz

Cities & Metros

This fact sheet reports the rankings of small cities in the Mountain West, based on perceived desirability for living, visiting, and investment. Resonance Consultancy’s “America’s Best Small Cities 2020,” report examines six key metrics: “People,” “Place,” “Product,” “Programming,” “Promotion,” and “Prosperity.” 11 small cities in the Mountain West are ranked within the top 100 in the United States.

2021 Business Tax Climate In The Mountain West, Katie M. Gilbertson, Peter Grema, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet summarizes a report by Jared Walczak and Janelle Cammenga of The Tax Foundation titled “2021 State Business Tax Climate Index.” The index compares how states structure tax systems to bolster state business activity and investments, and possible routes for future improvement. Scores and rankings are offered for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Police Shootings In The Mountain West, 2015 - 2021, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

The Washington Post publishes and regularly updates a dataset regarding the use of deadly force by police since 2015. This fact sheet extracts data for each state in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), and presents a regional perspective on the total number of individuals shot and killed by police, including demographic variables such as race, gender, and age. Two additional variables are included in this examination: the presence or absence of mental illness in the individual killed by police, and the presence or absence of a body-worn camera in incidents of deadly force by police.

America's Best Cities: Mountain West Cities, Katie M. Gilbertson, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr., Fatma Nasoz

Cities & Metros

This fact sheet reports the rankings of Mountain West cities, based on perceived desirability for living, visiting, and investment. Resonance Consultancy’s “America’s Best Cities 2020,” report examines the nation’s largest cities on six key metrics: “Place,” “Prosperity,” “People,” “Product,” “Programming” and “Promotion.” Nine Mountain West cities are ranked within the top 100 in the United States.

Covid-19: Higher Education Funding In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

In February 2021, Victoria Jackson and Matt Saenz of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published a report titled, “States Can Choose Better Path for Funding Higher Education Funding in COVID-19 Recession.” The report presents data on changes in state spending for higher education, and tuition costs for all 50 states between 2008 and 2019. This fact sheet explores data on higher education budget cuts and changing tuition costs for four-year institutions and community colleges in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah).

Clean Energy Scorecard For Mountain West Cities, 2020, Eshaan Vakil, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

As climate change continues to affect the Mountain West, many cities are taking measures to reduce carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. This fact sheet reports the rankings of Mountain West municipal governments, based on efforts to improve energy efficiency and increase their utilization of clean energy. The rankings are collected from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) “2020 City Clean Energy Scorecard.”

Child Care Costs In The Mountain West, Saha Salahi, Kristian Thymianos, William E. Brown Jr., Caitlin J. Saladino

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines the cost of child care using data from the Care Index, a collaboration between New America, Care.com, and other organizations. Data for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah are included in this document.

Student Debt In The Mountain West, Class Of 2019, Kristian Thymianos, Eshaan Vakil, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

In 2020, Americans collectively owed $1.6 trillion in student debt, making it the second-largest consumer debt category nationwide. 1 However, this debt is not distributed evenly across the country. This fact sheet reports data on the amount and prevalence of student debt in Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), as originally reported by the Institute for College Access and Success (ICAS) study, Student Debt and the Class of 2019.2 This fact sheet also reports figures relating to the amount and prevalence of student debt for graduates from Nevada’s two public research universities: the University of Nevada, …

State Technology And Science Activity In The Mountain West, 2020, Katie M. Gilbertson, Peter Grema, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet summarizes the 2020 State Technology and Science Index (STSI) report by Kevin Klowden, Aaron Melaas, Charlotte Kesteven, and Sam Hanigan of the Milken Institute. STSI rankings are summarized for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The index is a measure of how each state performs in several key metrics for supporting a knowledge-based economy.

Venture Capital In Nevada, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet provides an overview of venture capital in the State of Nevada. Venture capital is an essential part of economic diversification and business startup development. The Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are used for comparative purposes to add context to Nevada’s venture capital ecosystem. The differing nature of venture capital funds in Northern and Southern Nevada is delineated.

Community College Funding In The Mountain West, Peter Grema, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown

Higher Education

This fact sheet summarizes data from the Center for American Progress report “Tapping Local Support to Strengthen Community Colleges,” by Marcella Bombardieri. The original report highlights the potential for local funding to compensate for the resource gap that community colleges face throughout the country. This fact sheet reports data on Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah).

Population Density Of Congressional Districts In The Mountain West, Eshaan Vakil, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet reports the population density of congressional districts in the Mountain West states, and the party representation in the House of Representatives for both the 2016 and 2018 general elections. This fact sheet utilizes a model from Bloomberg CityLab, the Congressional Density Index (CDI), originally published November 20, 2018.

Diversifying Demography Of The Mountain West, Kelliann Beavers, Olivia K. Cheche, Vanessa Booth, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

Between 2000 and 2019, Mountain West states and metros have mirrored a nationwide trend of white populations gradually making up a smaller percentage of the total population. As a result, various race-ethnic minority groups now make up larger percentages of the total population and have contributed to increased diversification in the region. Using data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau and analyzed by William H. Frey from the Brookings Institution, this Fact Sheet focuses on the diversification and population changes in the Mountain West.

Traffic Scorecard In Mountain West Cities, Kelliann Beavers, Eshaan Vakil, Katie M. Gilbertson, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This fact sheet presents congestion and mobility trends in 14 Mountain West cities as compiled by INRIX Research and author Trevor Reed, in the Global Traffic Scorecard, March 2020. The INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard examines the impact of vehicle travel on 975 congested cities in the world; this fact sheet focuses on the Mountain West, providing insight on the ranking and impacts of congestion. This fact sheet also supplements INRIX’s scorecard with population data from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide context for the rankings.

Covid-19: Working Parents And Child Care In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet synthesizes data on child-care dependent parents in various Mountain West metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). This synthesis is based on an original report by Brookings Research Analyst, Nicole Bateman, titled “Working parents are key to COVID-19 recovery.” Additionally, this fact sheet highlights other variables that include the race-ethnic breakdown, education attainment, and federal poverty breakdown for child-care dependent parents.

Covid-19: Housing Hardship Index, Yanneli Llamas, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on May 2020 unemployment rates and mortgage delinquencies in the Mountain West: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This synthesis is based on nationwide data originally reported by Bankrate senior mortgage reporter Jeff Ostrowski in “Housing Hardship Index: Coronavirus crushes some state economies, spares others.”

Geography Of Debt In Nevada Counties, Eshaan Vakil, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This Fact Sheet summarizes and expands on the Urban Institute’s Debt in America: An Interactive Map online interactive dataset. The original data source offers statistics on the share of individuals in both white communities and communities of color with debt in collections, as well as the median value of this debt. The dataset further itemizes this information by medical, student loan, and automobile debt organized within counties and states. Data are presented for white communities and communities of color in Nevada’s most populous counties: Clark and Washoe.

Covid-19: Payment Protection Program (Ppp) Loan Impact In The Mountain West, Eshaan Vakil, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet summarizes the impact of COVID-19 relief loans on small businesses in 5 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Using data reported by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), researchers at Brookings report, “across metro areas, COVID-19 relief loans are helping some places more than others.” This fact sheet explores the geographic distribution of PPP loans in 20 “very large,” “large,” “midsize,” and “small” metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in the Mountain West.