2013 Orange County Indicators Show Where We Shine ($$$) and Need Improvement ($$$)

Half of Orange County's adults own smartphones, nearly a third of our young adults have no health insurance and most nonprofits here  make do with less than they have in the past. Those findings are in the 2013 Orange County Community Indicators report issued Thursday that found gains in key socioeconomic indicators, life expectancy and renewable energy use–and nagging family poverty, housing and food shortages and
educational achievement gaps.
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The County of Orange, the Children and Families Commission of Orange County and the Orange County Business Council partnered to present the report, which has been presented annually since 2000. The introduction notes various agencies and nonprofits rely on the findings to set goals for clients. You can read the full 2013 report here:

http://www.occhildrenandfamilies.com/CommunityIndicators

Some key findings:

• Half of Orange County adults own a smartphone, compared to 46 percent
  nationwide. Orange County has a slightly higher rate of ownership than
  Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

• 30 percent of young adults, defined as being from 18 to 24 years old,
  do not have health insurance. Countywide, 17.3 percent of all residents
  are uninsured, compared to 15.1 percent of the national average and 18.1
  percent of the statewide average. Hispanic residents are the race or
  ethnic group most likely to be uninsured (30 percent), while 40 percent
  of those with less than a high school education are uninsured. Despite
  programs geared toward insuring young children, still 6 percent of
  children ages 5 and under are uninsured.

• Most
  nonprofit charities are working with fewer resources. Between
  2000 and 2010, median total revenues for all Orange County nonprofits
  dropped by 14 percent.

• A majority of
  jurisdictions that participated in questions about wireless coverage
  reported that it is either “very good” or “good” in their respective
  communities. Still, 58 percent were aware of coverage gaps, and fully 77
  percent agreed that wireless coverage and signal quality are
  important for disaster preparedness. But the opinions were mixed when it
  came to erecting new cell towers: 62 percent of the jurisdictions said
  their residents hold negative views, while 38 percent believed their
  residents would support new towers.

 
“Each year, the Community Indicators report allows Orange County to take stock of where we are on a wide range of important issues and how we are faring compared with other regions,” says Michael M. Ruane, the project director who oversaw this year's report, in a statement from the partnership.

“The county's distinct geographic regions, wide range of economic drivers, and cultural and ethnic diversity paint a fascinating and instructive portrait of areas where we shine, and other areas that still require considerable our collective focus, creative energy, resources and resolve.”

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