A Deep Dive into the 2020 Census Data

Please join Lambda Alpha International’s Baltimore Chapter for our February 16th Virtual Presentation. Seema D. Iyer and Sara Paranilam will do a deep dive into the 2020 Census data with a focus on how the data may affect the greater Baltimore & Maryland political climate and real estate industry.

According to the 2020 Census data release in August 2021, Baltimore experienced -5.7% population loss between 2010 and 2020. Our current population is 585,708 which is the lowest population in over a century. Although Baltimore lost population overall, population loss for communities throughout the city has not been uniform—with many communities gaining population next door to communities that lost more than 4 times the citywide average. We, as a city, cannot afford —ethically, psychologically, financially— “enduring divergence” (to keep pulling apart) if we want a more just and equitable future for Baltimore. What can we learn from so many other cities on the East Coast and around the country that have stopped the tide of decline? What can we learn from the communities right here within Baltimore that gained population for two decades in a row?

About the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance 
Since 2002, BNIA-JFI has been producing the Vital Signs report annually to provide outcome indicators that "take the pulse" of Baltimore neighborhoods progress towards a better quality of life in every neighborhood. The goal of this effort is for neighborhood residents, organizations, and other stakeholders to use data and the Vital Signs report to foster new ways of thinking strategically and effectively about improving our city, neighborhoods, and government over time.

Seema D. Iyer PhD is associate director and research professor for the Jacob France Institute in the University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business. Dr. Iyer oversees the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance (BNIA), which annually prepares the Vital Signs compendium of open data for Baltimore’s neighborhoods. The award-winning BNIA project is part of the Urban Institute's national partnership of sites that provide longitudinal data on demographics, housing, crime, education and sustainability. Academically, Dr. Iyer is also director of UB’s Real Estate and Economic Development program and teaches courses on real estate principles and local economic development.

Sara Paranilam has more than twenty years of planning experience with the Baltimore City Department of Planning.  As a veteran within the Planning Department, she has developed many neighborhood master plans and launched new planning programs.  As the Policy and Data Analysis Chief, she manages the City's six year billion dollar Capital Improvement Program and the Planning Department’s GIS and data analysis team.