Ramsey County Board Workshop on Community Indicators - August 26, 2025

This workshop, held on August 26, 2025, at 1:30 PM in Courthouse Room 220, Saint Paul, focused on the county's community indicators program. The program measures community-wide outcomes across five categories—affordability, wealth creation, early childhood, health, and public safety—to inform strategic planning and budgeting. Presenters from Policy & Planning (Larry Timmerman, Lindsay Minard, Dave Zafron) walked through 8 of the 14 current indicators. No votes were taken during this workshop.

Discussion Items

• Background and Context: The community indicators originated from an upward mobility project with the Urban Institute (2020–2022). The current 14 indicators were developed through community engagement. Presenters noted that data sources are being improved, particularly for disaggregation by race and ethnicity, and that indicators are updated on the open data portal.
• Affordability Indicators:
  • Median Household Income (US Census ACS 5-year estimates, inflation-adjusted to 2023 dollars). Data for American Indian/Alaska Native populations had high margins of error (26% in 2018, 44% in 2023).
  • Severe Rent Burden (households spending >50% of income on rent). Data from the National Equity Atlas (replacing Urban Institute source). Commissioner Moran noted the absence of Asian community data; staff explained this is the last indicator not disaggregated for Asian populations.
• Wealth Creation Indicators:
  • Home Ownership Rate: Countywide 59% (2018) to 61% (2023).
  • Denial Rate for Home Purchase Loan Applications (2023): 14% countywide. Data from CFPB HMDA. Commissioner Miller asked whether county programs were included; staff confirmed loan applications through county programs would be captured.
• Early Childhood Indicator:
  • Child Care Spaces per 100 Children Under Age 5: Ramsey County ranks 78th out of 87 Minnesota counties. New data source: childcareaccess.org (U of M). Discussion about the 20-minute driving distance metric and the need for geographic disaggregation.
• Health Indicators:
  • Low Birth Weight Rate: Countywide 8% (state 7%). Data from County Health Rankings (UW–Madison). Funding for this source has been pulled by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; future data will need alternative sources. Commissioners requested further disaggregation by prenatal care, insurance status, and contributing factors.
  • Preventable Hospital Stays per 100,000 Medicare Enrollees: 2022 countywide rate 2,270 (state 2,255). A sharp drop in the American Indian/Alaska Native rate (from 2,758 to 675) is suspected to be a data entry error; staff have contacted County Health Rankings for verification.
• Public Safety Indicator:
  • Juvenile Arrests (Ages 10–17): 2023 data from local police departments, showing arrest shares by race compared to youth population shares. Commissioner Moran requested further disaggregation by age (e.g., 10-year-olds vs. 17-year-olds).

Key Outcomes and Next Steps

• Data Verification and Follow-up: Staff will investigate the suspected data error in preventable hospital stays for American Indian/Alaska Native populations and report back. They will also explore additional disaggregation for low birth weight (by insurance, prenatal care) and juvenile arrests (by age).
• Future Data Sources: Given the loss of County Health Rankings funding, staff will seek alternative sources for health indicators. Commissioners emphasized leveraging local data from Wilder Foundation, U of M, Met Council, Minnesota Compass, and other partners. Commissioner Mai Chong Chong suggested coordination with the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) on data advocacy.
• Community Engagement: Staff plan to re-engage with community and stakeholders in 2026 to review and potentially update the set of 14 indicators. Commissioners encouraged using the workshop as a platform to build a narrative about the county's role in the broader ecosystem.
• Partnerships and Data Sharing: Commissioners highlighted the need to align indicator data with partner organizations (e.g., children's collaborative, CAFRW, U of M) and to reduce duplication. County Manager Becker noted that upcoming nonprofit convenings (November 2025) could be used to coordinate data efforts.
• Reporting: Staff will provide answers to unanswered questions from the workshop and continue to update the open data portal with performance measures and community indicators.