Dr. Robert P. Fenton

803-832-8301

rfenton@cma.sc.gov

February 2023

State Statistical Profile FY2021-2022 (Download PDF)

Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton prepared an overview of the agency's State Statistical Profile FY2021-2022 for the agency's Statistical Profile Release luncheon on Monday, February 27, 2023.

February 2022

African American Representation in Health Care: Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity Amongst South Carolina's Healthcare Systems (Download PDF)

This presentation, delivered by Social Science Research Analyst Ashley Hanna-Williams, was prepared for the 2022 Black History Month Celebration honoring Black leaders in healthcare and wellness. The presentation provides information on the contributions of African Americans in healthcare.

The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs focuses on research and resources for the communities we serve. Our research team is compiling a statistical profile that will highlight the socio-economic and demographic impact of the rapidly growing Hispanic populations on the state of South Carolina. Our goal is to provide the community and its stakeholders with information on the socioeconomic development of the highly diverse Hispanic/Latino communities, in order to help move them forward. Help us share the many stories and faces of the Latino community in South Carolina by filling out our questionnaire.

This will only take a few minutes of your time.

Fill out now Complete the survey 

The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs' Small and Minority Business Division has released a survey to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small, minority-owned businesses in South Carolina. This survey will be used to inform future policy initiatives and current and future funding allocations from state and federal resources. Participation in this survey is vital in guiding our priorities and providing direction for upcoming events and activities. Submissions will remain anonymous. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

English: https://bit.ly/3ziWztt

Spanish: https://bit.ly/3zsoO9d 

August 2024

The Crisis of Black Maternal Health: Disparities in South Carolina

For some pregnancy is a gift, but what happens when that gift is quickly snatched from you? On May 2, 2023, during a welfare check, this tragic fate became the reality of Olympic medalist, Tori Bowie. Bowie, 32, was found dead in her home due to pregnancy related complications. The cause was later revealed by the medical examiner to be eclampsia, which is a disorder related to high blood pressure during pregnancy. When unaddressed during pregnancy, common conditions like high blood pressure and infections can become deadly. Being an Olympic medalist did not appear to have made a difference in Bowe receiving adequate prenatal care. However, the most important variable was not her occupation, but her race. Across a range of pregnancy-related disorders, Black women have significantly higher mortality rates than White women. In our latest research brief, Statistical and Research Analyst Alicia Paige, shines a light on these statistics as they relate to the state of South Carolina. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

May 2024

Rocky Road: A Brief Examination of Travel Conditions for African American Workers in South Carolina

In South Carolina, most travel is done on the road. Evaluating travel conditions is an important step for the Commission for Minority Affairs in an effort to describe the socio-economic status for minority communities. In this brief, Statistical and Research Analyst Zhengyang Lin explores the conditions of traveling for work for African Americans. Lin examined data provided by American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2022) and the South Carolina Department of Transportation. Data suggests that African Americans are the group that commute via vehicles the most, however, in places where there are significant proportions of African American residents, primary roads are sparse and in poor conditions but with few maintenance projects. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

April 2024

Future Citizens: On the Changing Demographics of Public-School Enrollments in South Carolina

Providing a growing, diverse population with the appropriate educational resources from preschool through secondary education is vital if the state’s economic development objectives are to be met. In this brief, Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton examines the state’s changing public-school demographics to bring awareness to areas where specialized curriculum and administration changes might be made. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

March 2024

Unattainable Dreams: Housing Affordability in South Carolina

In our latest research brief, Statistician Max Petushko examines new data sources and releases to further explore dynamics addressed in the July 2022 brief "Unaffordable Housing." By integrating data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) and Federal Reserve Economic Data (fred.stlouisfed.org), this research spotlights major socioeconomic dynamics and connections between affordable housing, vacant houses, and householder age patterns in South Carolina. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

December 2023

Comparing 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates with Recent Years

In our latest research brief, Research and Statistical Analyst Zhengyang Lin explores changes in key facets of the state’s minority demographics – ranging from population to education attainment – by comparing the 2021 and 2022 American Community Survey (ACS). (DOWNLOAD PDF)

September 2023

The Palmetto (Luso-) Latinos?: A Profile of Brazilians in South Carolina

Increasingly, over the past few years, more Brazilians have been making South Carolina home. Unlike their South American peers with which they are often categorized, Brazilians do not typically self-identify as Hispanic/Latinos. Thus, they tend to get lumped together with other racial groups. In this brief, Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton explores some of the key socio-economic data points associated with South Carolina’s growing Brazilian community, in the hopes of building bridges and providing recognition of this unique, vibrant, and globally recognized ethnic group. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

August 2023

Uneven Foundations: The Impact of Urbanization on Household Dynamics in South Carolina

In this comprehensive study, Statistician Max Petushko investigates the profound impact of urbanization on household dynamics in South Carolina using decennial census housing data from 2010 to 2020. By exploring the relationship between urbanization and household growth, the research uncovers a distinctive two-humped pattern that reveals varying effects across different racial and ethnic groups. The findings shed light on the challenges posed by limited housing markets and underscore the need for targeted policies to address disparities affecting affordable housing access. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

June/July 2023

On the Move: Incoming and Outgoing Minority Prime-Age Populations in South Carolina from 2016 to 2021 

As of April 2023, South Carolina has one of the nation’s lowest labor participation rates and one of the most rapidly aging populations. To accommodate these measures, the state has mobilized a significant number of resources to entice corporations to relocate production and processing facilities within its borders. In this brief, Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton examines some of the characteristics of prime-age minority populations that have arrived or left the state from 2016 to 2021. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

May 2023

Education Matters: Minority Student Enrollment, Retention, Degree Rates and Median Income in South Carolina from the Past Decade

Over the last decade, higher education has been in the spotlight due to rising costs, dwindling enrollment, and the applicability of certain majors to real-world occupations. In this research brief, Statistical and Research Analyst Ja'Curas McCloud examines how minority students have fared relative to several of these metrics, particularly in terms of enrollment, graduation rates, and degrees conferred from 2011 to 2021. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

March 2023

Connecting Minority Communities: Broadband Infrastructure and Internet Service Provision in South Carolina from 2019 to 2021

Access and connectivity to the internet have dominated COVID-era discussions on the infrastructural underpinnings of social inequality and future access to opportunities. In this brief, Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton examines the racial/ethnic dimensions of these discussions as they pertain to South Carolina, tracks the significant changes made to improving metrics for minority households from 2019 to 2021, and points out how investments in internet connectivity for minority households might improve South Carolina's economy. (DOWNLOAD PDF)

The Research Briefs provides a snapshot of the latest analysis of topics that are of interest to policymakers, practitioners, researchers, government agencies, colleges/universities and the general public. If you have any questions concerning the research methodology, contact Dr. Robert Fenton, Director of Research, at rfenton@cma.sc.gov.

December 2022

After Work? : Financial Health and Quality of Life for South Carolina's Minority Senior Citizens

Old-age poverty continues to plague South Carolina's Minority populations. In this Brief, Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton examines some of the barriers faced by Minorities of retirement age in the state and compares them with data for their White peers. The Brief also explores issues related to supplementing income through retirement savings for the working age population by analyzing current publicly available data on the subject at the state level. (Download PDF)

November 2022

What's Changed?: The Impact of COVID-19 on Minority Employment and Income from 2019 to 2021

Unforeseen events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can serve both as an opportunity to remedy long-standing inequities and/or enable further impositions that tether societies to seemingly immovable structural constraints. In this Brief, we analyze how the pandemic has affected employment and income estimates for several of South Carolina's racial/ethnic groups from 2019 to 2021. This report finds that, by and large, the long-term structural constraints observed before the pandemic continue to constrain pay parity and employment opportunities for the state's Minority populations. (Download PDF)

September/October 2022

Gentrifying Black Charleston: Exploring the Displacement of Charleston's African American Population from 2000 to 2020

For centuries, Charleston's African American communities played a key role in the cultural and economic history of the United States, in general, and South Carolina more specifically. Over the past two decades, however, the city's African American population has been gradually replaced by predominantly White populations, through the process known as gentrification. In this brief, Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton explores some of the key metrics associated with the gentrification process in Charleston. (Download PDF)

August 2022

Speaking My Language: Languages other than English, Educational Attainment Levels, and Median Incomes in South Carolina's Minority Communities

In this brief, former Research Intern Mateo Pierce-Mosquera and Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton, examines the interplay between educational attainment and linguistic ability for South Carolina's racial and ethnic minority populations. Furthermore, it assess how English-language abilities and educational achievement affect median personal income levels. (Download PDF)

July 2022

Unaffordable Housing: Cost-Burdened Housing Estimates for South Carolina's Minority Population (Download PDF)

Minorities are more likely to reside in cost-burdened housing arrangements than their white peers. In this brief, Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton examines cost-burden housing and suggests that policies aimed at increasing minority homeownership rates could significantly diminish cost burdens experience by the minority community in South Carolina.

June 2022

A Look Behind the Bars: Examining the State of South Carolina's Prison Population (Download PDF)

In this brief, Social Science Research Analyst Ashley Hanna-Williams examines the State of South Carolina's prison population in light of the growing socioeconomic imbalances that infringe upon the state’s historically disenfranchised and under-served communities. This information was presented publicly at the 2022 South Carolina Re-Entry Conference on April 8, 2022. 

March 2022

African American Representation in Health Care: Racial Disparities within the State's Healthcare Workforce (Download PDF)

This report, prepared by Social Science Research Analyst Ashley Hanna-Williams, provides a brief overview of African American representation within the state's healthcare system. Data originated from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey One-Year and Five-Year Estimates. This information has been presented publicly at the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs Black History Month Celebration on February 10, 2022.

Gender Pay Wage Gap By State (Download PDF)

In recognition of Women's History Month, Social Science Research Analyst Ashley Hanna-Williams discusses the difference between median earnings for men and women who worked full-time between 2015 and 2019.

February 2022

Asian American and Pacific Islanders in South Carolina (Download PDF)

Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are the third largest minority ethnic group in South Carolina. However, due to cultural, national, and linguistic differences, the pan-ethnic label "AAPI" obscures more than it reveals. This brief, prepared by Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton, examines data on national origins and geographical dispersal amongst the AAPI community in South Carolina.

January 2022

Minority Homeownership in South Carolina (Download PDF)

This report, prepared by Social Science Research Analyst Ashley Hanna-Williams, provides a brief overview of South Carolina's minority homeownership figures and trends for the past decade.

Hispanic/Latinos: National Origins, Citizenship Status and Income (Download PDF)

This report, prepared by intern Mateo Pierce-Mosquera and Research Director Dr. Robert P. Fenton, provides pertinent data on the state's growing Hispanic/Latino community, particularly around the issue of citizenship and income.