The State’s Image Ranks #9 among Alabama Voter Priorities
In late 2017, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) surveyed Alabama voters to determine their thoughts about the general direction of the state and the issues that most concern them. PARCA partnered with Samford University to survey policy professionals from across the state including academics, journalists, business and nonprofit leaders, and lobbyists. Their […]
The Priorities of Alabama Voters
In 2018, Alabamians will elect a governor and five other statewide executive branch officers, 140 legislators, and scores of local officials. Those elected will lead Alabama for the next four years. These leaders should be responsive to the concerns of those they represent but also willing to help citizens understand critical, but perhaps less obvious, […]
Population Change in Alabama Counties and Metro Areas
As a follow-up to PARCA’s previous post on estimated changes to Alabama’s population in comparison to other states, we now present recent U.S. Census estimates of population change in Alabama counties and metro areas. As a state, Alabama’s population has increased 2 percent since 2010, a faster rate of growth than Mississippi, but slower than […]
Alabama Grows, but Slowly, Weighed Down by High Death Rate and Low Rate of International Migration
Alabama’s pace of population growth increased in 2017, but the state remains slow-growing compared to most of its Southeastern neighbors, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Two factors holding down growth: Alabama has the nation’s second-highest death rate and one of the lowest rates of immigration from other countries. Domestic in-migration […]
How Alabama Roads Compare, 2017
PARCA’s latest report, How Alabama Roads Compare, provides an in-depth analysis of the conditions, funding and future of our state’s roads and bridges. Data presented in the report can also be viewed through interactive tables here. Alabama Roads: Where are we now? Alabama’s roads and bridges are in relatively good condition compared to other Southeastern states. The […]
A New Prescription for Medicaid
Any attempt to address the perennial shortfalls faced by the state’s General Fund account has to start with attention to Medicaid, the program that pays for the healthcare and long-term care of the poor and disabled. Total spending on Medicaid in Alabama is budgeted to reach $6.1 billion in 2015, with about 30 percent of […]
Roundtable Alumni Make an Impact
Roundtable Alumni Make an Impact Impact Alabama, a statewide service organization that harnesses the energy of college students, deployed more than 570 IRS-certified students and volunteersduring this spring’s tax season to provide free tax preparation assistance to 8,200 families. The returns they filed brought home $14.9 million in refunds. They also saved families over $2.5 million […]
Challenges Facing Children
Challenges Facing Children Alabama children face steeper obstacles to opportunity than children in the rest of the nation, and that is particularly the case for black and Hispanic children, according to Race for Results, a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Race for Results focuses on 12 conditions that either create advantage or disadvantage […]