Ramsey County Digital Equity Profile – ranked 13

Every year, the Blandin on Broadband blog does County Broadband Profiles (and will do again when the new maps come out) but given federal opportunities are making it possible to get funding for access and adoption, I thought I’d try to present information for counties to assess their digital equity standing (see table below) and give options for who to contact locally for more information.

Summary

Ramsey County ranks 13 out of 87 counties for digital equity. Like other urban counties, Ramsey ranks well with technology access and use but ranks lower in other demographic tracts, such as population living below the poverty level (ranks 83) and lack of high school degree (77). This might be an opportunity to develop or expand programs that help residents use technology to access formal education or workforce opportunities.

Scroll down for details and suggested resources for more information.

Blandin Foundation is using the Microsoft Digital Equity Tool to determine needs by county and make high level recommendations for next steps to consider based on the data. (With special thanks to Carter Grupp, Broadband Coordinator Broadband Coordinator at American Connection Project for Otter Tail County.) Visit the tool if you want to look up more statistics on your community.

Demographic Data and Ranking (out of 87)

Ramsey County	Ranking
Access to 100/20	14
No bachelors	6
No HS degree	77
Below 150% poverty (last 12 months)	81
Below poverty (last 12 months)	83
Disability	36
No computer	15
No broadband access	11
No subscription	12
Overall average	13

The map below shows digital inequity by census tract. The bluer the better; yellow and orange colors indicate more inequity. This map can be helpful in figuring out which parts of your county need the most help.