Albemarle Co., UVA Equity Center release Equity Profile

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Albemarle County, in partnership with The Equity Center at the University of Virginia, is announcing the release of the Albemarle County Equity Profile: Centering Equity in Evaluating Well-Bring & Quality of Life for Albemarle County Residents.

“The Equity Profile is a first step in a long journey, but it demonstrates a continued commitment to fully embrace our mission of enhancing well-being and quality of life for our community,” Albemarle County Director of Equity & Inclusion Siri Russell said in a press release Monday, June 7.

According to the county, the profile analyzed conditions across demographic groups and geographic areas that contribute to well-being. Some of its key finding include:

Albemarle County residents generally experience relatively high quality of life.
Life expectancy at birth differs in Albemarle County by race and location.
The median household income in Albemarle County in 2019 is $86,399. Median household income by census tract ranges from a low of $41,000, less than half of that for the county overall, to a high of $135,100.
42% of renters in Albemarle County are cost-burdened or severely cost-burdened, meaning they pay at least 30% of their income on housing.

“Understanding how the conditions that promote well-being are distributed in the county is necessary to identify gaps in existing service delivery and to develop new policies and models of community engagement that improve the quality of life for all residents.” stated Russell.

“We are proud to support Albemarle County in the production of their Equity Profile, and stand ready to help however we can with next steps. Documents like these increase our collective capacity to align actions with values - they are an essential part of a culture of accountability, Equity Center Faculty Director Barbara Brown Wilson said.