Access to Opportunity (4.0)
Connecting people to jobs by ensuring that there are good jobs and childcare resources across the region.
Persistent geographic disparities are one of Greater Seattle’s biggest economic challenges. Despite very high rankings for growth and prosperity from 2009-2019, Greater Seattle ranked 49th out of 53 large metro areas in terms of geographic inclusion, according to Brookings Metro Monitor. Gaps in employment, income, and poverty rates between the top 20% and bottom 20% of census tracts have worsened or barely budged during the past decade. The region’s response is to do two things: bring jobs to people and connect people to jobs. That means ensuring that there are hubs of innovative industries and clusters of good jobs across the region, not just in a few downtowns. And it means addressing the region’s severe shortage of accessible childcare options.
Learn More About Access to Opportunity Initiatives
These Access to Opoortunity initiatives complement a portfolio of four inter-related areas of focus originally developed by a Task Force of 200 community leaders in academia, business, government, and not-for-profit. Specific goals, metrics, funding amounts and partners are detailed in the regional Economic Recovery Framework.