Progress in Dallas: fewer young adults living in poverty, but much work remains

At The Commit Partnership, our True North goal is clear: by 2040, at least half of all 25-34-year-old residents in Dallas County, irrespective of race, will earn a living wage. This goal is about more than just numbers—it’s about creating economic mobility and building an inclusive, prosperous Dallas County where access to opportunity is abundant and race, place, and socio-economic status no longer predict our educational and economic attainment outcomes.

The latest US Census American Community Survey (ACS) data release shows that while we continue to make meaningful progress, much work remains to be done, requiring us to remain relentlessly committed to growing access to economic prosperity while concurrently closing opportunity gaps where they exist.

Gains Worth Celebrating

Between 2017 and 2023, Dallas County has seen:

• A positive 6% increase in the number of young adults (ages 25-34) earning a living wage, from 25.9% to 31.9%. That’s 26,705 more young adults earning enough to support themselves.
• A positive 2.5% decrease in the percentage of Dallas County young adults living in poverty (from 13.2% to 10.7%), meaning 10,053 fewer young adults struggling to meet basic needs.
• Our living wage threshold has continued to rise significantly due to inflation, growing ~25% over this six-year period from $48,567 in 2017 to $60,651 in 2023. More young adults are reaching this mark despite the fact that the bar is also getting higher.
• The region still trails its more affluent neighbor to the north (Collin County) in living wage attainment rates, though it is narrowing the gap.
• The City of Dallas reflected young adult poverty declining nearly eight times faster than the rest of the county, perhaps demonstrating that urban-centered efforts may be making an impact but also likely reflecting that continued gentrification may be causing young adults living in poverty to relocate to the suburbs.

Challenges Still Remain

Despite this progress, the data also makes it clear that:

• A troubling 1 in 9 young adults in Dallas County still live in poverty.
• Significant racial gaps remain, with our White and Asian young adults 2x to 3x more likely to earn a living wage than their Black and Hispanic peers. 

Our Path Forward

While economic conditions for young adults in Dallas County are steadily improving, sustainable accelerated change requires continued strategic investments in education, workforce training, and policies that expand access to opportunity and ensure our students are sufficiently skilled to pursue higher paying jobs.  The recent expansion of the Dallas County Promise effort and the growing amount of aligned philanthropy behind that initiative is a great example of the innovation that we as a region need to continue to prioritize.

We’ve made progress we should all be collectively proud of…but we cannot slow down now. Achieving our Partnership’s True North goal by 2040 is ambitious, but it is possible—if we continue to work closely together in a heavily aligned fashion across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The momentum is there. Now, we must continue to scale what is working while steadily removing barriers to ensure that all young adults in Dallas County, regardless of background, have the opportunity to thrive.  

We can do this.

Onward.

‍