1. Demographic Snapshot of Austin’s African American Community
City Council work session
June 21, 2016
Ryan Robinson
City Demographer
Planning and Zoning Department 1 1

2. Housing Affordability
Executive Summary
The African American community in central Texas is better off in many ways than it was ten years ago but large, stubborn socioeconomic disparities continue to persist.
A return to positive population growth within the City and a continuation of modest growth for metropolitan Austin.
And yet, greater Austin is not getting a significant piece of the big current growth stream of African American households flowing into the South.
Housing Affordability
Achieving significant growth of African American households in the future is dependent on attracting families with children back into the City--and yet, collapsing housing affordability across the City will make this difficult. 2 2

3. Issue Sections Population change and spatial distribution.
Quality of Life indicators.
National Migration Patterns.
Housing affordability. 3 3

4. Population Change and Spatial Distribution
The most recent Census data from 2014 indicate a gain of almost 8,000 African Americans since 2010 within the City of Austin and an almost 20,000 increase at the metropolitan-level.
More than half of all African Americans inside metropolitan Austin now live outside the City of Austin. 4 4

5. Overall share continues to fall but the total number of African Americans within the City has risen.

7. Williamson
Travis
Bastrop
Hays
Caldwell

8. This is what we thought was happening from our 2005 perspective,
but we were wrong…
Share of Total Population
Total African American Population
Total number of African Americans
in Austin has increased over time,
but the share of total population from
African Americans has decreased.

22. Quality of Life Data Indicators
Although Austin’s African American community does relatively well in national comparisons with other African American communities, large, stubborn socioeconomic disparities continue to persist. 22 22

23. 􀂃 whether the quality of life in Austin for Hispanics is markedly
different from the quality of life experienced by Hispanics in
other cities, the state and the nation as a whole.
􀂃 and whether the quality of life experienced by Austin Hispanics
is significantly different from the quality of life experienced by
the rest of the City as a whole.

24. 􀂃 whether the quality of life in Austin for Hispanics is markedly
different from the quality of life experienced by Hispanics in
other cities, the state and the nation as a whole.
􀂃 and whether the quality of life experienced by Austin Hispanics
is significantly different from the quality of life experienced by
the rest of the City as a whole.

25. Cities within the Selected Set of Peer and near-Peer Cities, plus the state of Texas and the US
Seattle
Minneapolis
Portland
Milwaukee
Detroit
Columbus
Sacramento
Baltimore
Denver
Indianapolis
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Washington DC
San Jose
Nashville
Raleigh
Oklahoma City
Charlotte
San Diego
Phoenix
Memphis
Ft Worth
Dallas
Atlanta
Jacksonville
El Paso
Austin
Houston
San Antonio
Corpus

26. 24th

27. 5th

29. 20th

31. 7th lowest rate

35. National Migration Patterns
Austin is not getting a significant piece of the big current growth stream of African American households flowing into the South. 35 35

40. Housing Affordability
Achieving significant growth of African American households in the future is dependent on attracting families with children back into the City.
But collapsing housing affordability across the City will make this difficult. 40 40

44. Conclusions and Next Steps
The City of Austin’s African American community is back in a growth mode--but housing affordability will continue to be a serious challenge for substantial future growth.
Leveling socioeconomic disparities will be based largely on increasing access to quality education.
The African American Quality of Life Advisory Commission is currently finalizing its budget request to Council, which will focus on these issues: Health, Criminal Justice and Education. 44 44

45. Housing Affordability
Achieving significant growth of African American households in the future is dependent on attracting families with children back into the City--and yet, collapsing housing affordability across the City will make this difficult.
Questions and Follow-up please contact:
Ryan Robinson
City Demographer
Planning and Zoning Department 45 45