BCVision implements action strategies to change policies, programs, and institutions to achieve our targets and see measurable improvements in our community.
Measure | Baseline (2015) | Current | Target (2025) | Trend | Michigan | Chart |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labor force participation rate Disaggregated | 60% | 60% | 63% Rationale: This is the median labor force participation rate among a set of nine Midwestern cities of comparable size, demographics, and education levels; it is also the rate seen statewide in 2010. Source: PolicyLink analysis of demographic data from the US Census. |
61% | ||
White | 60% | 59% | - | 62% | ||
Black | 57% | 59% | - | 58% | ||
Latino | 74% | 68% | - | 67% | ||
American Indian or Alaskan Native | 66% | 64% | - | 57% | ||
Asian | 67% | 71% | - | 63% | ||
Some other race | 86% | 56% | - | 67% | ||
Two or more races | 53% | 61% | - | 61% | ||
Unemployment rate Disaggregated | 12% | 10% | 6% Rationale: This is the second lowest unemployment rate among a set of nine Midwestern cities of comparable size, demographics, and education levels; we chose this instead of the median given the fast decline in the unemployment rate in recent years.Source: PolicyLink analysis of demographic data from the US Census. |
9% | ||
White | 11% | 9% | - | 7% | ||
Black | 19% | 16% | - | 18% | ||
Latino | 7% | 4% | - | 11% | ||
American Indian or Alaskan Native | 7% | 7% | - | 13% | ||
Asian | N/A | N/A | - | 6% | ||
Some other race | 8% | 7% | - | 11% | ||
Two or more races | 24% | 16% | - | 15% | ||
Median household income Disaggregated | $37,250 | $38,216 | $56,710 Rationale: This is the income needed to meet minimum standards given the cost of living in Calhoun County. Source: MIT Living Wage Calculator: Calhoun County (1 adult and 2 children). |
$50,803 | ||
White | $40,937 | $41,783 | $54,331 | |||
Black | $24,021 | $24,422 | $30,732 | |||
Latino | $31,034 | $38,023 | $41,318 | |||
Asian | $61,752 | $61,146 | $76,370 | |||
Some other race | $26,512 | $40,000 | $38,461 | |||
Two or more races | $21,255 | $25,917 | $38,157 | |||
Disposable income | $62,652 | $62,573 | $70,299 | |||
Small businesses (per 1,000 residents) | 35 | 33 | 35 | 33 | ||
Small businesses (number) | 3,206 | 2,978 | 3,206 |
What does the data tell us?
- Economic growth has consistently worsened
- Low labor force participation and high unemployment rate
- Unemployment concentrated in communities of color
To learn more about Jobs in Battle Creek, please see the “Economic Vitality” section of the Battle Creek Equity Profile.
Goals for Jobs:
For Battle Creek to thrive, all residents — regardless of race, gender or socio-economic background — must have equitable opportunity to gain the skills needed to secure and grow in jobs that can support a family.
Specifically, we strive to:
- Increase the number of permanent jobs
- Provide adequate training to prepare Battle Creekers for jobs and better jobs
Strategies & Tactics to achieve the goals:
Increase permanent jobs:
- Attract new businesses
- Streamline regulations
- Attract more government funding and involvement
- Encourage larger businesses and government to buy more from small businesses
- Create public/private partnerships to build a stronger, fairer environment for entrepreneurs
Provide job training
- Connect job seekers with available jobs
- Strengthen transportation, childcare and other supports to allow people to take and keep a job
- Partner with employers to reduce hiring barriers
- Create partnerships among employers, nonprofits and funders to strengthen job skills and remove barriers to employment
Initiatives and programs already in action (coming soon…)
New work being planned (coming soon…)
Partners in this space (coming soon…)
Quick Links:
- Labor force participation rate – U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
- Median household income – U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
- Number of small businesses – U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns
Measure | Baseline (2015) | Current | Target (2025) | Trend | Michigan | Chart |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public preschool enrollment (percentage) Disaggregated | 34% | 35% | 100% Rationale: “High quality universal pre-K for three- and four-year-olds could significantly reduce the financial burden facing families with young children and help ensure that children are prepared for kindergarten.” When universal PreK is articulated as a goal, it largely can be achieved, as evidenced in states such as WV, VT, WI, AL, NY, IL. Source: https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/care-report/policy-recommendations-universal-pre-k/; http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/YB2017_Executive-Summary.pdf |
17% | ||
White | 26% | 26% | 14% | |||
Black | 38% | 37% | 29% | |||
Latino | 19% | 40% | 22% | |||
Public preschool enrollment (number) Disaggregated | 483 | 474 | 1,356 Rationale: “High quality universal pre-K for three- and four-year-olds could significantly reduce the financial burden facing families with young children and help ensure that children are prepared for kindergarten.” When universal PreK is articulated as a goal, it largely can be achieved, as evidenced in states such as WV, VT, WI, AL, NY, IL. Source: https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/care-report/policy-recommendations-universal-pre-k/;http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/YB2017_Executive-Summary.pdf |
37,760 | ||
White | 204 | 190 | 21,318 | |||
Black | 114 | 103 | 11,472 | |||
Latino | 27 | 48 | 4,218 | |||
Kindergarten readiness (Battle Creek public schools only) | 24% | 30% | 100% Rationale: During kindergarten children develop foundational skills for math and reading. A goal of 100% of Battle Creek kindergartners scoring above the 50th percentile nationally on the MAP assessment ensures that all children are set up for academic success. Source: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/about-us/article/head-start-program-facts |
N/A | ||
3rd-Grade Reading Proficiency Disaggregated | 36% | 32% | 62% Rationale: Third-grade reading proficiency predicts future educational success. Measuring proficiency early allows for timely interventions to improve a child’s reading skills. 60% is the average third-grade reading proficiency of the top 25 best cities to raise a family. Source: PolicyLink analysis of demographic data from the US Census and the 25 best cities list from SmartAsset.com. |
44% | ||
White | 43% | 40% | 52% | |||
Black | 15% | 8% | 19% | |||
Latino | 25% | 25% | 33% | |||
Asian | 46% | 46% | 64% | |||
Two or More Races | 31% | 19% | 42% | |||
3rd-Grade Math Proficiency Disaggregated | 36% | 36% | 70% Rationale: Third-grade math proficiency predicts future educational success. Measuring proficiency early allows for timely interventions to improve a child’s math skills. 70% is the average third-grade reading proficiency of the top 25 best cities to raise a family. Source: https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-best-cities-to-raise-a-family |
46% | ||
White | 43% | 46% | 54% | |||
Black | 15% | 11% | 19% | |||
Latino | 25% | 26% | 33% | |||
Asian | 46% | 65% | 73% | |||
Two or More Races | 31% | 42% | 42% | |||
8th-Grade Reading Proficiency Disaggregated | 46% | 30% | 56% | 43% | ||
White | 45% | 34% | 48% | |||
Black | 21% | 11% | 20% | |||
Latino | 36% | 11% | 31% | |||
Asian or Pacific Islander | 49% | 60% | 69% | |||
Two or More Races | 42% | 26% | 40% | |||
8th-Grade Math Proficiency Disaggregated | 29% | 21% | 42% Rationale: 75th percentile of M-Step test scores (SY16-17), as MI Math tests for G6-8 are aligned with and “correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards.” Note: range is 5%-93%. Source: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Mathematics_Grade_8_Crosswalk_Claims-Targets-Standards_502014_7.pdf |
34% | ||
White | 36% | 24% | 39% | |||
Black | 7% | 4% | 11% | |||
Latino | 16% | 9% | 20% | |||
Asian or Pacific Islander | 39% | 43% | 68% | |||
Two or More Races | 23% | 17% | 29% | |||
On-time high school graduation Disaggregated | 84% | 87% | 90% Rationale: High school graduation helps predict how well teens are prepared for further education and employment and has wide-ranging health, social and economic impacts. 90% is the highest rate of on-time high school graduation in the top 25 cities to raise a family. Source: https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-best-cities-to-raise-a-family |
81% | ||
White | 84% | 87% | 84% | |||
Black | 78% | 82% | 70% | |||
Latino | 84% | 90% | 74% | |||
Asian | N/A | 87% | 73% | |||
Two or More Races | 90% | 89% | 81% |
What does the data tell us?
- Low access to early childhood education
- Racial inequities in access to early childhood education
- A potential education and skills gap for people of color
To learn more about Talent Development in Battle Creek, please see the “Readiness” section of the Battle Creek Equity Profile.
Goals for Talent Development:
For Battle Creek to thrive, all students — regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic background — must be able to pursue career and life paths that lead to economic stability. All students must be prepared to fulfill their optimal potentials.
Specifically, we strive to:
- Improve kindergarten readiness
- Increase college and career readiness for all students
Strategies & Tactics to achieve the goals:
Improve kindergarten readiness
- Create adequate, accessible, affordable and culturally appropriate early childhood education opportunities serving all children in Battle Creek
- Promote a shared, county-wide definition of kindergarten readiness
- Adopt early education as an explicit workforce development strategy
- Increase the quality of early learning experiences through training and coaching for teachers
- Strengthen and better coordinate policies and services that support kindergarten readiness
- Help more children get access to high quality and culturally appropriate early learning opportunities.
Increase college and career readiness for all students
- Create an equitable academic and career pathways for students
- Build an excellent, equitable, quality pre-K to 16 education system in the greater Battle Creek area
Initiatives and programs already in action (coming soon…)
New work being planned (coming soon…)
Partners in this space (coming soon…)
Quick Links:
- Kindergarten proficiency
- 3rd-grade reading proficiency
- 3rd-grade math proficiency
- On-time high school graduation
- Calhoun Intermediate School District
- Calhoun Area Career Center
- Early Childhood Connects
- Goodwill
- Kellogg Community College
- Regional Manufacturing Technology Center
- Michigan Rehabilitation Services
- Battle Creek Public School
- Harper Creek School District
- Lakeview School District
- Pennfield School District
- BC Pulse
- Burma Center
- Urban League
- Voces
- Willard Library
Measure | Baseline (2015) | Current | Target (2025) | Trend | Michigan | Chart |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crime rate (per 1,000 people) | 30 | 32 | 10 Rationale: Crimes are not only costly to the victims and families affected, but also on the community through lower property values and higher taxes. A crime rate of 10 would place Battle Creek in the 75th percentile of the top 10 safest cities. Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/crime-and-corrections/public-safety |
12 | ||
Low birth-weight babies Disaggregated | 8.0% | 10.4% | 7.8% Rationale: This is the median labor force participation rate among a set of nine Midwestern cities of comparable size, demographics, and education levels; it is also the rate seen statewide in 2010. Source: PolicyLink analysis of demographic data from the US Census. |
9% | ||
White | 7% | 8% | 7.1% | |||
Black | 12% | 19.1% | 14.4% | |||
Latino | N/A | 7.4% | 7.4% | |||
All other races | 3% | 0% | 8.1% | |||
Homeownership Disaggregated | 60% | 60% | 64% Rationale: 64% is the national average for Homeownership Rate. As Battle Creek works to attract and retain millennials, and create a dynamic and progressive workforce, the target should reflect the national trend for housing this workforce. Source: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/battlecreekcitymichigan,mi,calhouncountymichigan,US/AGE295217 |
71% | ||
White | 65% | 65% | 76% | |||
Black | 41% | 40% | 42% | |||
Latino | 51% | 60% | 55% | |||
American Indian or Alaskan Native | 62% | 55% | 60% | |||
Asian | 63% | 65% | 58% | |||
Some other race | 48% | 63% | 53% | |||
Two or more races | 31% | 30% | 53% | |||
Workers living in Battle Creek | 27% | 27% | N/A |
What does the data tell us?
- A high share of youth are disconnected from work or school
- Poverty is highest in northeastern neighborhoods
- Many neighborhoods experienced increases in poverty
- Half of the renters in the region are housing burdened
To learn more about Battle Creek’s Culture of Vitality, please see the “Connectedness” section of the Battle Creek Equity Profile.
Goals for Culture of Vitality:
For Battle Creek to thrive, we must embrace what makes our community special and nurture a culture that celebrates our city.
Specifically, we strive to:
- Make Battle Creek a place where people choose to live, work, and play
Strategies & Tactics to achieve the goals:
Make Battle Creek a place where people choose to live, work and play:
- Reinvigorate the physical and built environments
- Promote Battle Creek
- Create an active and lively downtown
- Make our neighborhoods safe
- Increase traffic to our community by holding well-attended community events
Initiatives and programs already in action (coming soon…)
New work being planned (coming soon…)
Partners in this space (coming soon…)