Module 1 Exercises:
Question 2.
What is the median household income in your jurisdiction?
Instructions: Using the U.S. Census Bureau interactive map, Median Household Income, explore the median household income for the years 2015 – 2019.
Step 1. Click the link to Median Household Income to open the map in a new tab.
Step 2. Use the drop-down menu to select your state.
Step 3. The data is divided by county. Explore the median income for the counties in your jurisdiction. The amount is displayed in 2019 dollars.
How do the jurisdictions compare to the 2019 federal poverty guidelines?
Step 4. It is important to remember that the median household income may change dramatically based on demographic markers, like race/ethnicity, age, gender, and geographic location. The data defaults to include all households but includes a filter to explore how Hispanic origin/ race of the household changes the map.
How does the map change when you explore different demographics?
How is poverty distributed across the state? If you are further curious, you can explore the U.S. Census Bureau interactive map, Percentage of People in Poverty By County. The community challenges that exist in your jurisdiction are not represented alone by these maps, but they begin to help us understand the realities of the individuals who come through the courtroom every day. Using this as our baseline, we will continue to build on how to learn about the individual circumstances that are considered when assessing ability to pay.