- Area(s) of Focus: Community Health & Civic Life, Economy, Education
- Key Indicator(s): Group Membership (% of adults 18 and over involved in social, civic, sports, and religious groups), Volunteerism (% of adults ages 18 and older who did volunteer work any time in the previous year), Youth Not in School and Not Working (% ages 16 to 24), Unemployment Rate (%), Median Household Income ($), Poverty (% of population below poverty line), Income Inequality (Ratio of household income at the 80th percentile to that at the 20th percentile), High-Speed Internet (% of households), On-Time High School Graduation (% of freshmen who graduate in four years), Associates Degree or Higher (% of adults 25 and over)
- State(s): Iowa
Des Moines Area Community College is the largest community college and a founding leader of Opportunity Iowa, a statewide coalition led by Rob Denson, President of DMACC and Barry Griswell, the former CEO of the Community Foundation of Des Moines.
The Iowa coalition has used the Opportunity Index Index to:
• Raise public awareness about the need to expand opportunity
• Rally over 200 community and education groups to work toward improving county Index Scores
• Influence key political leaders
• Launch a worker-training program with a top local employer connecting people with good jobs that provide family-sustaining wages.
