Statistics & Data - 2016-17 OneBook | Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

Statistical sources used by the author

In the final chapter of Evicted, "About this Project," Matthew Desmond discusses the methods he used to collect the stories, information, and data used to write the book. In addition to his extensive fieldwork, he also designed and administered several surveys in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Survey Center and made the data available to the public.

Milwaukee Area Renters Study (MARS) Data
An in-person survey of 1,086 households in Milwaukee designed to collect new data related to housing, poverty, and urban life. Desmond discusses this survey and its results on pages 329-331 in the book.
Milwaukee Eviction Court Study (MECS) Data
An in-person survey of tenants appearing in Milwaukee County Small Claims Court for an eviction hearing during a six-week period in 2011. Desmond discusses this study and its results on pages 331-332 in the book.

Desmond also mentions on page 331 that he analyzed data from a national-representative survey called the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study from Princeton University:

Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study
The Fragile Families & Child Wellbeing Study is following a cohort of nearly 5,000 children born in large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000 (roughly three-quarters of whom were born to unmarried parents). Data includes interviews with parents, in-home assessments, and parents' work, education, and health histories at various points in each child's life.

Data tools @ Boatwright

Use the tools below to explore demographic and housing data about Milwaukee, Richmond, or other locations in the U.S.

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
An easy-to-use resource for current and historical United States Census data and demographic information.

Create reports and maps of the U.S. population for a variety of geographic levels, on topics such as race, sex, age, education, and many more. Social Explorer provides access to data from all Censuses from 1790-present and the American Community Survey, plus additional data on religious congregations. To save your maps and to use all of the database's tools and features, you will need to create a free account.; Web-based maps & downloadable statistics; Varies, 1790 - present

Total Population: White Alone (by Zip Code), 2013 ACS 5-year estimates via Social Explorer

PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
Data and mapping resource that combines demographic, health, employment, and socioeconomic data about communities, census tracts, and other regions within the United States.

Farmer's markets around Richmond, VA (Source: USDA) via PolicyMap

Boatwright Memorial Library

2016-17 OneBook | Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond: Statistics & Data

Statistical sources used by the author

Data tools @ Boatwright

Use the tools below to explore demographic and housing data about Milwaukee, Richmond, or other locations in the U.S.