Find Out If You Live in a ‘Distressed Community’
Your zip code can mean a lot more than just where you receive your mail. According to a recent survey it can also determine what type of community you live in.
The Economic Innovation Group recently released their 2017 findings on distressed communities. The EIG is a bipartisan public policy organization, founded in 2013, combining innovative research and data-driven advocacy to address America’s most pressing economic challenges.
The zip codes that the EIG has determined to be distressed in West Michigan are as follows:
- Benton Harbor (49022)
- Covert (49043)
- Decatur (49045)
- Dowagiac (49047)
- Grand Junction (49056)
- Grand Rapids (49507)
- Hartford (49057)
- Holton (49425)
- Kalamazoo (49007)
- Lawrence (49064)
- Muskegon (49442)
- Muskegon Heights (49444)
- Pullman (49450)
- Watervliet (49098)
The methodology used to determine the Distressed Communities Index are these seven metrics:
- No high school diploma
- Housing vacancy rate
- Adults not working
- Poverty rate
- Median income ratio
- Change in employment
- Change in business establishments
You can find out more about the EIG, their methods, and this study at EIG.org.