Over the next year, Education NC will be taking a deep dive into Forsyth County, profiling the individuals and organizations that are working to prepare the county’s at-risk children, age four and under, for a lifetime of success.

We will tell the stories of the families who want a better life for their children.

We will highlight the organizations who are breaking down silos to deliver services more efficiently.

We will analyze policy to find areas where needs are not being meet or where innovation is being made.

We will speak with the leaders of business and industry who are working across the public-private divide.

We will focus on the services that supports families and the resources they need to prepare their children for a lifetime of learning.

We will amplify what is working in Forsyth and how those models can be replicated in other communities across the state.

Through the next year, we will be updating periodically these data points on Forsyth County. This will be a living document, a cheat sheet that will be a resource for all our reporting moving forward and to help frame the issue on the ground.

Population: 369,019

Median age: 37.6

Population gain: Between 2010-15, Forsyth’s population increased by 5.2%, roughly equivalent to the statewide growth of 5.3% for the same time period.

Race and ethnicity, total population: In Forsyth County, 12.3% of the population is Hispanic, compared to 8.7% of the population statewide. African Americans make up 26.1% of the population in the county, compared to 21.5% statewide.

Race and ethnicity, under 18: Of those under 18 in Forsyth, 28.5% are African American, compared to 23.6% of the total population of the state. Hispanics under 18 account for 21.8% of the county population, compared to 14.4% statewide.

Rural/urban representation: According to the 2010 Census, 92.7% of Forsyth County’s population was urban, 7.4% was rural.

Precent of residents renting: 37%

Gross rent as a percentage of household income, 35% or more: 42.6%

Selected monthly owners costs as a percentage of household income, 35% or more: 20.7%

(Sources: 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; ACCESS NC, July 2016 County Report; National Low-Income Housing‘s Out of Reach 2015 report)

Median family income: The average median family income for all households in Forsyth County is $52,164. In a married-couple family household, the median family income is $78,704. For a household headed by a male with no wife present, the median family income is $30,357. For a female-headed household with no husband present, the median family income is $21,149.

Poverty: 28.7% of those under 18 live in poverty, compared to only 16% of residents over the age of 18.

Public assistance:

Families in poverty: 13.5% of all families in Forsyth are in poverty. 35.3% of families with a female householder, no husband present, are in poverty.

(Sources: 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates)

School enrollment: There is an estimated 72,129 children 3-to-17 years of age in households in Forsyth County. Of those children, 62,454 are enrolled in school. Of those enrolled, 87.3% are enrolled in a public school, 12.7% in a private school. 9,675 are not enrolled in a school. (2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates)

K-12 enrollment: In Forsyth County in the 2014-15 school year, 53,648 children were enrolled in public schools, 4,494 are enrolled in private schools, 3,506 are in home schools, and 2,632 are enrolled in charter schools. (Data retrieved from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and North Carolina Department of Administration)

Educational attainment: Of the population age 25 and over, 32.1% of the population had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 27.7% of the population statewide.

Poverty by level of educational attainment: 33.6% of residents with less than a high school diploma were in poverty, compared to 4.5% of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Total per-pupil expenditures: Forsyth County ranked 72nd in the state in per-pupil expenditures, with $8,882.51 spent per pupil, including $5,519.01 in state expenditures (93rd in the state), $1,059.61 in federal expenditures (67th in the state), and $2,303.89 in local expenditures (29th in the state).

County Appropriations & Supplemental Taxes, 2014-15: Forsyth County ranked 23rd in the state in appropriations and supplemental taxes with $108,020,219.

Teachers with National Board Certification in North Carolina, 2014-15: In the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Public Schools, 8.7% of teachers are National Board Certified.

Teacher turnover: In 2014-15, 12.34% of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County teachers left the profession (472 out of 3,826).

Earnings by gender and educational attainment: The median income for males in Forsyth County was $7,336 higher than that of females. The median income of a person with a bachelor’s degree was $19,928 higher than that of a resident with only a high school diploma or equivalency.

(Sources: 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; North Carolina Department of Administration; Annie E. Casey Kids Count Data Center)

Total labor force: In June of 2016, the total labor force was 181,194. Of that, 172,840 were employed, 8,354 unemployed.

Unemployment rate: The June 2016 unemployment rate was 4.6%, slightly below the unemployment rate of 4.7% for the entire state.

Top employers: As of the fourth quarter of 2015, the top-ten employers in Forsyth County were:

1. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
2. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical
3. Forsyth Memorial Hospital, Inc.
4. Wake Forest University School of Medicine
5. Novant Health, Inc.
6. Wake Forest Univ.
7. City of Winston Salem
8. Hanesbrands, Inc.
9. Wal-Mart Associates, Inc.
10. Wells Fargo Bank

Top industry sectors: “Education, healthcare, and social assistance” is the top industry sector in Forsyth County, accounting for 28.1% of all jobs. Manufacturing is second, accounting for 11.9% of jobs in the county.

(Sources: N.C. Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division; 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.)

Licensed Child Care Facilities: 207

Licensed Child Care Enrollment: 7,692

Number of Physicians (2013): 1,809

Physicians per 10,000 population (2013): 50.2

RNs per 10,000 population (2013): 192.4

Dentists per 10,000 population (2013): 5.3

Pharmacists per 10,000 population (2013): 16.2

Low-birthweight births: The overall percentage of low-birthweight births dropped almost one percentage point between 2011 and 2012, from 11% to 10.2%. However, low-birthweight birth for Hispanic children increased from 6.6% to 8.2% in the same time period.

Infant mortality: Infant mortality stayed the same from 2011 and 2012 (10 vs. 10.2 per 1,000 live births). However, infant mortality increased for Hispanics from 6.9 per 1,000 live births in 2011 to 7.9 in 2012.

Number of children enrolled in Medicaid: In 2012, 38,782 children were enrolled in Medicaid in Forsyth County, up from 32,160 in 2008.

Food insecurity rate: 16.9%

Estimated number of food insecure individuals: 60,550

(Sources: Employment, labor force, industry, sector, and wage data from the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division; ACCESS NC, July 2016 County Report; Annie E. Casey Kids Count Data Center; Feeding America’s Mind the Meal Gap report)