Find Out If You Live in a ‘Distressed Community’

Your zip code can mean a lot more than just where you receive your mail.  According to a recent survey it can also determine what type of community you live in.

The Economic Innovation Group recently released their 2017 findings on distressed communities.  The EIG is a bipartisan public policy organization, ​founded in 2013, ​combining innovative research and data-driven advocacy to address America’s most pressing economic challenges.

The zip codes that the EIG has determined to be distressed in West Michigan are as follows:

• Benton Harbor (49022)
• Covert (49043)
• Decatur (49045)
• Dowagiac (49047)
• Grand Junction (49056)
• Grand Rapids (49507)
• Hartford (49057)
• Holton (49425)
• Kalamazoo (49007)
• Lawrence (49064)
• Muskegon (49442)
• Muskegon Heights (49444)
• Pullman (49450)
• Watervliet (49098)

The methodology used to determine the Distressed Communities Index are these seven metrics:

• No high school diploma
• Housing vacancy rate
• Adults not working
• Poverty rate
• Median income ratio
• Change in employment
• Change in business establishments

You can find out more about the EIG, their methods, and this study at EIG.org.