Equity Indicators

The City of Houston, in partnership with the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, developed equity indicators to compare data on 63 topical areas that measure whether opportunities are equally available to all Houstonians. The data coalesces into scores, called an Equity Indicators. The City prepared its first Equity Indicators Report comparing data from 2021 and 2022. Thanks to funding from Shell USA, Inc, this report will influence decision-makers on budget priorities, programming, policies, and projects to achieve equitable outcomes.

The collaborative work of the Houston Planning and Development Department, the Mayor's Office of Resilience and Sustainability, and the Mayor's Office of Complete Communities aligned with the Kinder Institute's work on the vision and framework outlined in the Resilient Houston strategy and the 10 Complete Communities Action Plans.

Visit the One Complete Houston website.

View the full report: One Complete Houston: Understanding Our Equity Challenges and Opportunities

On July 11, Mayor Sylvester Turner joined community and business leaders at the Sunnyside Health and Multiservice Center to announce the findings of the City of Houston's first equity indicator study. Houston’s overall equity score is 44.1 out of 100, delineating a need for improvements. Compared to other cities that have used the Equity Indicators methodology, Houston’s score is higher than Dallas’s 2021 score of 38 and Tulsa’s 2022 score of 42.63. However, Houston follows behind St. Louis’s 2018 score of 45.57 and Pittsburgh’s 2018 score of 55.

"One Complete Houston sheds light on the complex causes and compounding effects of inequities and sets a foundation for developing potential solutions to those challenges,” said Mayor Turner. “All neighborhoods have value and promise, and all kids across our city can succeed if we give them an opportunity.” Read the full press release.

Houston's Equity Definition:

Equity is achieved when a Houstonian’s race, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation, do not predict their outcomes or limit their choices. Our city embraces and nurtures its multiculturalism and diversity by offering opportunities for all and deploys policies that support fair and just access to opportunity.

Houston's Commitment:

The City of Houston is committed to advance racial and ethnic equity by mobilizing all departments, divisions, and programs to review, revise, and implement systems providing for equity, as defined above. To ensure limitless choices, opportunities, and freedoms, we will invest and support historically underserved and marginalized communities, such as people of color, people with disabilities, people with low incomes, immigrants and refugees, youth, those with limited-English proficiency, and other compounding factors related to racial and ethnic disparities. This commitment includes the provision and continuation of the amount of goods, services, supports and resources specifically required to accomplish the equity goals in the City of Houston. In doing so, we will meet our vision as a city to offer opportunity for all and fully celebrate our diversity of people, economy, culture, and places.

Equity vs. Equality:

What is equity? In the simplest terms, it means fairness, which is not necessarily the same thing as equality.

"It’s not about everybody getting the same thing. It’s about everybody getting what they need in order to improve the quality of their situation.”

Quote from Cynthia Silva Parker, Infusing Equity into the Urban Planning Process

What are equity indicators?

• Assessment tools that measure existing disparities faced by disadvantaged groups of people. The City will track change in disparities over time for 63 key indicators.

• Each indicator receives a score from 1-100, with 100 representing no inequity. Scores will guide policy decisions and programming.

• These indicators will fall under the seven main themes: Economic Opportunity, Health, Public Safety, Housing, Infrastructure, Environmental and Climate Risks, and Access and Inclusion.