Demographic Profile
In order to continue the areas prosperity and economic vitality, the current labor shortage in Travis County must be addressed. An opportunity exists for employers to seek out workers in Travis County who have been historically underutilized. The following is a brief demographic profile of the underutilized workforce in Travis County.
What groups are not sharing in economic prosperity?
Within Austin/Travis County, they are primarily:
- Living in poverty (12.9% of Austin/Travis County population are at poverty level or below, an estimated 87,177 people)
- School dropouts (AISD has highest dropout rates in Austin/Travis County and rates are higher for minority students; 18% of all adults over age of 25 did not graduate from high school in Austin/Travis County)
- Hispanic or African-American (these minorities have unemployment rates at least twice as high as Anglo counterparts; 83% of TANF recipients are minorities)
- Public assistance recipients [2,612 TANF households in the month of February (Welfare-to-Work Coalition, 1999)]
- Single female head of households [96% of TANF recipients (Welfare-to-Work Coalition, 1999)]
- Food stamp recipients [10,214 households in the month of February (Welfare-to-Work Coalition, 1999)]
- Residents of certain geographical areas (concentrations of individuals with the lowest education levels, highest unemployment, lowest income, and greatest need for English-as-a-Second-Language can be found in 10 zip codes in Travis County) (CAWDB, 1999)
- Individuals with a disability, substance abuse problem, and/or mental illness
- Homeless persons
- Immigrants with limited English proficiency
- Veterans
- Ex-offenders
The above summary information was obtained from the Capitol Area Workforce Development Boards (CAWDB) Strategic Plan, 1999, unless otherwise noted. Further details on the numbers and statistics listed above are available within the CAWDB Plan.
Who are the "underutilized" workers?
Figure 2
Unemployment by Race/Ethnicity in Travis County, July 1998
* Hispanic persons may be of any race.
Note: 1998 figures for Travis County totals are the average of monthly estimates and are subject to revision. Figures for Texas and Travis County by race/ethnicity for 1996, 1997, and 1998 are for July of that year.
Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Labor Market Information Department, with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 3, 1999.
In order to determine the magnitude of the "working poor" in Travis County, there are several other useful indicators, besides the rate of unemployment. One way to look beyond unemployment is to investigate labor force participation. While 4% of African-American males were classified as unemployed in July 1998, another 43.8% were not in the workforce at all. While this 43.8% does include some individuals too young or too old to work, it also includes a significant number of discouraged workers. This compares to 26.5% of White males not in the workforce, and 36.9% of Hispanic males not in the workforce. Among females, the percentage not in the workforce is even higher: 36.5% White, African-American 43.9%, and 46.2% Hispanic.
Another useful indicator is the number of students who are considered economically disadvantaged. Students are considered economically disadvantaged when they qualify for reduced-price or free meals. According to the USDA, the eligibility criteria for receiving reduced-price meals is an annual income at 185% of the poverty level, and for free meals, an annual income at 130% of the poverty level (see Table 3).
Table 3
1999 Federal Poverty Guidelines (48 Contiguous States and D.C.)
| Size of Family Unit |
Poverty |
130% Poverty |
185% Poverty |
| 2 |
$11,060 |
$14,378 |
$20,461 |
| 3 |
$13,880 |
$18,044 |
$25,678 |
| 4 |
$16,700 |
$21,710 |
$30,895 |
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (1999).
With over 76,000 students, AISD is the largest school district in Travis County (the second largest is Round Rock, with 27,000 students). Half of the students who attend Austin Independent School District (AISD) are economically disadvantaged. The proportion of disadvantaged students is even larger in some of the countys rural areas such as Del Valle (66.4%) and Manor (56.5%). As seen in Figure 3, the school districts with the largest numbers of economically disadvantaged children also have the highest percentages of Hispanic and African American students. In contrast, more prosperous districts have more White students.
Figure 3
Travis County Area School Districts: Ethnicity by Percentage of Economically Disadvantaged Children
Source: Texas Education Agency (1997-98).
Other indicators of economic hardship are the numbers of persons receiving public assistance. As seen in Figure 4, in February 1999, there were 2,612 TANF recipients in Travis County (96.4% of them female), 10,214 households receiving Food Stamps (24,503 individuals) and 10,941 Medicaid recipients (Welfare-to-Work, 1999).
