Every year, the Blandin on Broadband blog does County Broadband Profiles (and will do again when the new maps come out) but given federal opportunities are making it possible to get funding for access and adoption, I thought I'd try to present information for counties to assess their digital equity standing (see table below) and give options for who to contact locally for more information.
Summary
Hennepin County ranks 7 out of 87 counties for digital equity. The specific demographic tracts are surprisingly diverse given Hennepin County's overall ranking of 7. Poverty (rank 60) and lack of high school diploma (52) are lower than other rankings but those might be the opportunity to use technology to make a difference. Better access to technology can bring better educational and career opportunities. That may be compelling to a provider and a focus that may make a difference to residents.
Scroll down for details and suggested resources for more information.
Blandin Foundation is using the Microsoft Digital Equity Tool to determine needs by county and make high level recommendations for next steps to consider based on the data. (With special thanks to Carter Grupp, Broadband Coordinator Broadband Coordinator at American Connection Project for Otter Tail County.) Visit the tool if you want to look up more statistics on your community.
Demographic Data and Ranking (out of 87)
| Hennepin County | Ranking |
| Access to 100/20 | 12 |
| No bachelors | 2 |
| No HS degree | 52 |
| Below 150% poverty (last 12 months) | 39 |
| Below poverty (last 12 months) | 60 |
| Disability | 18 |
| No computer | 7 |
| No broadband access | 3 |
| No subscription | 8 |
| Overall average | 7 |
The map below shows digital inequity by census tract. The bluer the better; yellow and orange colors indicate more inequity. This map can be helpful in figuring out which parts of your county need the most help.
So where do you go to talk to people in the county about digit equity plans? Good places to start include:
Libraries
Schools
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