New Greater Hartford Gives Foundation Equity Report Highlights Challenges and Community Strengths
DataHaven documents persistent racial and geographic disparities and identifies local assets to help advance equitable change
A new regional equity profile of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation’s 29-town service area shows persistent inequities and challenges related to housing affordability, food access, transportation, income, and education. The Greater Hartford Gives Foundation service area 2026 Equity Report, developed by DataHaven, also highlights persistent racial disparities, such as lower median incomes, for Black and Latino households. Despite these disparities, the data also spotlights significant community strengths, including civic engagement and access to neighborhood recreation assets for Hartford residents.
“This report from DataHaven provides a concise overview of resident wellbeing, while still reflecting a wide range of indicators that matter for our neighbors and communities,” said Kate Szczerbacki, Greater Hartford Gives’ Director of Learning, Evaluation and Capacity Building. “It brings together publicly available data alongside insights from the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, which captures residents’ lived experiences through in-depth phone interviews. Those perspectives are not available anywhere else, and they enhance our understanding of community strengths and where more attention is needed. This report is an important resource for grounding our decisions in the experience of the people who live in Greater Hartford.”
The Greater Hartford Gives’ service area is made up of 29 towns with more than 750,000 residents.
Forty-one percent of the Foundation area’s residents are people of color, compared to 37 percent of residents statewide.
About 119,000 residents (16 percent) of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation service area are foreign-born, with the largest number having been born in Jamaica, India and China.
As of 2023, 8 percent of the region’s population ages 5 and older, had limited English proficiency. Greater Hartford Latinos (24 percent) and Asian Americans (25 percent) were more likely to have limited English proficiency than other racial/ethnic groups.
"This report gives policymakers, nonprofit leaders, and residents a shared set of facts about how people are experiencing life across the Greater Hartford region,” said Mark Abraham, MPH, Executive Director of DataHaven. “It combines multiple sources of public data with results from DataHaven's survey of thousands of randomly-selected adults in the region, using innovative statistical methods to provide insights by population group that are not available from any other local data source. This level of detail allows communities to make better decisions, target resources more effectively, and track whether progress is reaching everyone."
Here are a few highlights of the report. The full report is available online.
Basic Needs
The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps) is a program available to very low-income households, defined as those earning less than 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline ($30,000 for a family of four in 2023). SNAP utilization is higher among Black and Latino households and households in Hartford. This concentrates the risk to those facing a loss of SNAP benefits under the federal H.R. 1, or the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Act.
| Statewide | Foundation Service Area | Black Households | Latino Households | White Households | Hartford Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12% | 12% | 25% | 35% | 5% | 37% |
Access to a personal vehicle is often used as a measure of financial security since reliable transportation plays a significant role in job access and quality of life.
In Hartford, 29 percent of households had no vehicle compared to nine percent statewide.
In Connecticut, 19 percent of Black households lack access to a vehicle compared to 16 percent of Latino households and six percent of White households.
Housing
The typical home value in Connecticut increased 32 percent between December 2019 and December 2025, making homeownership even more difficult for those affected by our state’s history of racially discriminatory practices such as redlining and restrictive zoning.
While younger adults are less likely than older adults to own their homes in general, in many parts of the state, younger white adults own their homes at rates comparable to or higher than older Black and Latino adults.
In the Greater Hartford Gives service area, 35 percent of Latino households own their homes, compared to 44 percent of Black households and 77 percent of white households.
In Hartford, only 26 percent of all households own their home.
In the Capitol Region COG service area, 35 percent of adults ages 18 to 34 own their homes including 46 percent of white households, 21 percent of Black households, and 21 percent of Latino households.
Housing cost burden refers to households spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing, while severe cost burden refers to spending 50 percent or more. As housing costs continue to rise, more households are feeling this strain.
In Hartford, 53 percent of residents are housing cost-burdened, compared with 32 percent across the Greater Hartford Gives service area.
Housing cost burden affects renters more than homeowners and falls more heavily on Black and Latino households. Across the Foundation service area, 44 percent of renter households are cost-burdened, compared with 22 percent of owner households.
Education and Economic Wellbeing
Adults with high school diplomas or college degrees have more employment options and considerably higher potential earnings, on average, than those who do not finish high school.
| Statewide | Service Area | Black Households | Latino Households | White and Asian Households | Hartford Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9% | 8% | 12% | 25% | 8% | 26% |
| Group | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | $78,000 | $65,000 |
| Asian | $100,000 | $79,000 |
| Black | $52,000 | $50,000 |
| Latino | $51,000 | $41,000 |
| White | $85,000 | $73,000 |
Health
Socioeconomic disparities described above tend to correlate with health outcomes. Factors such as stable housing, employment, literacy and linguistic fluency, environmental hazards, and transportation all impact access to care, physical and mental health outcomes, and overall quality of life. Income and employment status often drive differences in access to healthcare, preventive care, even nutritious food.
In the Capitol Region COG service area:
The highest rates of diabetes were among those over age 65: (41 percent) among Black residents and (38 percent) Latino residents.
Asthma is most prevalent among young people with 18 to 34 year olds having an average rate of 17 percent, with White residents having a rate of 14 percent, Black residents a rate of 16 percent, and Latino residents having a rate of 21 percent.
Mental health issues like depression and anxiety can be linked to social determinants like income, employment, and environment. In the Capitol Region, 19 percent of adults 18 to 34 report experiencing anxiety and depression. In Hartford, those numbers rise to 23 percent.
Anxiety is higher among people of color. Twenty-two percent of Latino residents report experiencing anxiety, compared to 18 percent of Black residents, and 11 percent of White residents.
Civic Life
High quality of life and community cohesion can positively impact resident well-being through the availability of resources, sense of safety, and participation in civic life. For example, residents who know and trust their neighbors or feel safe walking at night may find greater social support and access to resources.
Eighty-four percent of residents in the Capitol Region COG service area say they trust their neighbors. In Hartford, 70 percent say they trust their neighbors.
In the Capitol Region COG service area, 74 percent of residents say their community is a good place to raise kids, while half as many Hartford residents (37 percent) respond that way.
Neighborhood Assets
High-quality recreational facilities and safe sidewalks help keep residents active and bring communities together. Throughout Connecticut, Black and Latino residents are largely concentrated in denser urban areas which tend to offer greater walkability.
Of adults in Capitol Region COG, 59 percent of adults report having stores, banks, and other locations they need within walking distance, compared to 57 percent adults statewide. In Hartford, 76 percent of residents are within walking distance of stores, banks, and other places they need to access.
In the Capitol Region COG, 77 percent of households say that their neighborhood has several free or low-cost recreation facilities such as parks, playgrounds, public swimming pools, etc. In Hartford, 76 percent of households say they have access to recreational facilities compared to 72 percent of households statewide.
Greater Hartford Gives Foundation is a community foundation, a hub for community-driven change. We fuel impact throughout Greater Hartford and beyond by making connections, providing funding, and sharing knowledge. Our goal is to create an inclusive region where everyone prospers. Together, with a powerful network of changemakers, we identify our neighbors’ most pressing needs and invest resources in initiatives that dismantle racial and economic barriers and improve quality of life. In our 100-year history, we have invested more than $1 billion throughout the region. Join us in building a Greater Hartford full of opportunity. Learn more at greaterhartfordgives.org.