If you’re a data nerd, you could get lost in the New York Times data maps of the 2010 census information. Sometimes a good map can reveal information more vividly and directly than a paragraph of text — take, for instance, the image showing the change in median household income over the past decade. It’s a clear picture on the block-by-block level of which neighborhoods are winning (Hampden; Charles Village), and which are collapsing (Remington, Waverly, Reservoir Hill). But that’s not the whole story.
The map of households earning annual incomes of $200,000 or more (below) looks pretty much like you’d expect — wealth is concentrated in the north of the city, with smaller pockets downtown and to the west of the city:
But if you look at the actual distribution of household wealth, money in Baltimore turns out to be quite a bit more scattered, with rich people sprinkled throughout the city:
However, the city is still remarkably segregated when it comes to race:
And there’s a pretty clear line between who does and doesn’t send their children to public schools:
So, Baltimore — do these maps reflect the city you know?
There are some positive stories here. You can see where the city is growing and where development needs to be pushed.