Examining Correlation between Green Space and
Income Level in Athens-Clarke County, Ga
Carden Barkley
Overview
This data brief examines whether or not there is a correlation between income level
(high vs. low) and green space in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia. After working with
the existing data it was difficult to find a strong correlation between either high income
and green space or low income and green space – the narrative that this data illustrates
is more of an examination of population distribution and land use, based on the nature
of the data. The most densely populated areas are in the center city area where there is
the least amount of green space, making it difficult to prove a connection between
income and overall percent of greenspace.
Context
The initial research question was “Does the amount of green space reflect the income
level of families present?” Green space can be connected to the general health and
wellness of an area – when people have regular access to green areas they are more
likely to spend time outdoors and be active, and oftentimes experience other added
health benefits. In Athens it is interesting to look at percent green space because of the
amount of variation in type; ranging from “The Greenway” along the North Oconee
River to Sandy Creek Park and Nature Center to fields for sports near schools and
playgrounds. The largest-sized green areas are outside of the central part of AthensClarke County, but the majority of the population (both higher income and lower
income) live in the central zones; something that definitely influences the results of
comparative study.
Income level is another interesting variable to examine in Athens because of the large
disparities in wealth that exist. In Athens there are a larger number of families that fall
into the “income of less than $10,000” bracket than those who fall into the “income of
$75,000 - $100,000 bracket. Other factors can play into account for these numbers,
meaning that green space is not anticipated to be either a causation or direct connection
for lower income, but looking to see if there is overlap in areas with little green space
and higher numbers of low income families could potentially highlight areas that could
benefit from the placement of parks or other new green space.
Data
The green space data was acquired from the National Land Cover Database (2011) and
looks at the percent of Athens that is considered a “green space” compared to the total
land area. What exactly constitutes as a “green space” is at the discretion of the NLCD.
Income level data used was “number of houses with income of less than $10,000” and
“number of houses with income between $75,000 and $100,000 both of which are
based on 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey (2010-2014). Data
sets were grouped and displayed according to Elementary School Zone to help provide
visual and conceptual references.
Analysis
According to descriptive statistics calculated with the three variables, there is no strong
correlation between income and green space. The “strongest” correlation is a negative
one between percent green space and “Number of Houses with Income of Less than
$10,000” at -0.438. There was an almost minute correlation between percent green
space and “Number of Houses with higher income (0.018). For the two bar charts below
(Figures 1 and 2) it is important to recognize how much wider the low-income
distribution is compared to the higher income chart. “Lower” looks at 0 – 3,000 homes
whereas “Higher” only looks at 0 – 1,100 homes. For these it is more effective to look at
the comparison between Elementary School Zones (identifiable by colors on the side of
the charts).
Figure 1: Number of House with Income of $75,000 to $100,000 in Athens-Clarke
County
In Figure 3 a map of Athens-Clarke County shows the percentage of green space based
on Elementary School Zones. The zones that are highest in green space are on the
outskirts of the county in less populated areas including: JJ Harris, Winterville, Whit
Davis, and Cleveland Road. Looking at income statistics within these less populated
zones there are low numbers of both high-income and low-income families. Because
these zones represent a small percentage of the overall ACC population it is difficult to
draw any concrete connections between the variables or compare them accurately to
zones in central Athens-Clarke County. The only outlier encountered in the descriptive
statistics process was the Barrow School Zone, which has a disproportionately high
number of lower income families, resulting in a data skew to the right.
Figure 2: Number of Houses with Income of Less than $10,000 in Athens-Clarke
County
Figure 3: Percent Greenspace in Athens-Clarke County with labeled Elementary School
Zones
Implications
In conclusion, it is difficult to use the data in this brief to make definite statements
about the correlation between income levels and green space in Athens-Clarke County.
However, this study might be more aptly used to draw attention to the fact that there is
a lack of green space in the central portion of Athens-Clarke County. The more densely
populated city areas are obviously more urban and understandably difficult (and
expensive) to add green space to but they still represent perfect sites for potential new
green area projects. Local School Governance Teams represent schools with varied
economic backgrounds, but increased green space is something that families from all
income levels would likely benefit from and want to push for.
References
National Land Cover Database (2011)
American Community Survey (2010-2014)