Quality of Life matters in Nevada
Nevada Tomorrow provides a free, dynamic, easy to use, one-stop digital resource for access to community quality of life data. You will find up-to-date demographic, education, environmental, economic, health, social determinant and equity data that highlights trends, challenges and opportunities in our Nevada communities; hundreds of maps, tables and figures and promising practices.
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Social Determinants of Health
Social and economic factors, such as income, education, employment, community safety, and social supports can significantly affect how well and how long we live. These factors affect our ability to make healthy choices, afford medical care and housing, manage stress, and more.
The social and economic opportunities we have, such as good schools, stable jobs, and strong social networks are foundational to achieving long and healthy lives. For example, employment provides income that shapes choices about housing, education, child care, food, medical care, and more. In contrast, unemployment limits these choices and the ability to accumulate savings and assets that can help cushion in times of economic distress.
Social and economic factors are not commonly considered when it comes to health, yet strategies to improve these factors can have an even greater impact on health over time than those traditionally associated with health improvement, such as strategies to improve health behaviors.
Across the nation, there are meaningful differences in social and economic opportunities for residents in communities that have been cut off from investments or have experienced discrimination. These gaps disproportionately affect people of color – especially children and youth.
Some of the social and economic factors we look at are:
- Education, showing who in a community has graduated high school or attended some college in addition to the percentage of teens and young adults ages 16-19 who are neither working nor in school.
- Employment, detailing unemployment statistics.
- Income, looking at children in poverty and income inequality.
- Family & Social Support, providing information on children in single-parent households and access to social opportunities.
- Community Safety, measuring violent crime and injury deaths.
Mental & Behavioral Health
Behavioral Health is a broad term that includes both mental health and substance abuse; two issues that continue to increase across the nation. Often they occur in tandem, with higher rates of substance abuse being seen in those experiencing mental illness. A growing number of Americans struggle with mental illness. Historically, Nevada has struggled to identify adequate resources to appropriately respond to our behavioral health needs. Lack of funding has often been cited as a top limitation to providing adequate services to our most vulnerable populations, with the per capita funding of mental health services averaging far less than the national average. The data provided below is for the City of Reno.
This indicator shows the percentage of adults who currently smoke cigarettes.
Data Source: CDC - PLACES
Economic Wellbeing
Strong economic resources allow individuals to possess workforce skills for success, businesses to be more productive, families to be more self-reliant, and government to be responsive to citizen priorities. Additionally, solid employment growth and revitalization are signs of a healthy economy and a diverse economy and higher wages make the region more affordable for residents to be self-sufficient and stimulate our economy. The data provided below is for Washoe County.
$44,448
This indicator shows the per capita income.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-Year
Education & Lifelong Learning
Access to educational opportunities equips our community with the ability to learn, think, realize earning potential and to access information in order to make effective decisions - all while enriching our understanding of our diverse world. Learn more about our greatest obstacles and opportunities for education and lifelong learning here in northern Nevada by viewing local data here. The data provided below is for Washoe County.
This indicator shows the percentage of people aged 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-Year
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QUALITY OF LIFE INDICATORS
Quality of life indicators simply answer the question, “What matters most to the people who live, work and play in the Truckee Meadows?” A QofL indicator is a measure designed to summarize information about a given priority topic in community health. QofL indicators provide comparable and actionable information across different geographic, organizational or administrative boundaries and/or can track progress over time.
We provide over 250 indicators, along with comparisons, trends and related data.
View all available indicators.
TOPIC AREAS
Explore data within one of our topic areas:
FEATURED RESOURCES
We've drawn together a diverse collection of professional resources for researchers, policy-makers, advocates, and other engaged citizens.
- Promising Practices - A database of documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.
- Funding Opportunities - Regularly updated; opportunities are automatically removed when they expire.
- Location Report Builder - An easy way to tell the story of your community in a beautiful and simple report.
