New site reveals location of NOLA opportunity youth

The Cowen Institute at Tulane University has released Measuring Opportunity in New Orleans, a guide and interactive website that is the fourth in the Institute’s series of data guides on opportunity youth, the term used to describe residents between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working.

The new website, http://nolaopportunity.com, is the first of its kind to offer targeted insight into the geographic distribution of New Orleans youth alongside an analysis of their access to employment opportunities and public transportation. The website, which was funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, illustrates the uneven distribution of opportunity youth across the city. Here are some key takeaways from the analysis:

• Mid-City (70119)’s population of opportunity youth is approximately five times that of Lakeview (70124).
• Relative to the city’s overall youth population, Algiers and parts of New Orleans East have a high concentration of disconnected youth and poor access to public transportation,  which is a significant barrier to job opportunities. Conversely, the Central Business District (70112) has the most job opportunities and the lowest concentration of disconnected youth.

“The Cowen Institute’s data guides about opportunity youth in New Orleans have helped to lay a foundation for understanding the experiences of the young people in our community, as well as the challenges they encounter,” said Amanda Kruger Hill, executive director of the Cowen Institute. “The Measuring Opportunity in New Orleans website goes even deeper, showing by ZIP code where opportunity youth live in the city and the barriers they often face in accessing employment opportunities. This information is useful for practitioners and policy-makers as we envision and implement collective solutions.”

Measuring Opportunity in New Orleans provides tools that the user can configure to gain insight not only into Orleans Parish but any parish in the Greater New Orleans area. The website also includes policy recommendations for increasing New Orleans youth’s access to transit and job opportunities.

The Cowen Institute would like to thank the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for generously supporting and funding this publication.

The Cowen Institute’s mission is to advance public education and youth success in New Orleans and beyond.