Demographics, employment, and educational attainment in Las Vegas

Community Assessment

Las Vegas

Las Vegas Nevada Community Assessment

Community Demographics

According to U.S. censor board Las Vegas city has population was 2,643,085 with majority of white (80.3%) while almost 8% African Black . About 60% of the population have their own homes. Poverty level as of 2008 statistics, 11% people living below poverty level.

As regards risk and hazards management, amongst the 35 major cities, Las Vegas was found to be having lowest rations for mutually property and violent crime.( U.S. Census Bureau). There are currently fifteen fire stations and 522 firefighters and paramedics situated all through the City offering 24-hour fire and emergency medical service (EMS). Las Vegas has Seven Metropolitan Police Department substations, out of which four situated within the City limits, holding more than 2,000 uniformed officers, offering 24-hour police response within 5 minutes.

Education

Nevada ranks last of all states in the United States for the number of high school students who go to college directly after graduation (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 2006). Nevada also ranks 45 out of 50 states in the percentage of residents who are over 24 years old and have attained a college or professional degree (Census Scope, 2006). Nationwide, college enrollment rates are significantly lower for high school students whose parents do not hold a college degree than for high school students whose parents completed a college degree (Choy, 2001; National Center for Education Statistics, 2001).

The nature of the job market in Las Vegas is service industry oriented. Las Vegas is a rapidly growing city with a large number of job opportunities that do not require a college education. Many jobs in Las Vegas are in the service sector, such as casino and hotel positions. A review of the employment classified section of a Las Vegas newspaper found 15 of 19 pages advertised job opportunities were in the service sector, such as casino, hotel, construction, and hospitality (Job Classified Section, 2007). Few job advertisements in the classified section indicated that a college degree was required (Job Classified Section, 2007). Nevada ranks 45 of 50 states and the District of Columbia in percentage of residents who are over 24 years old who have attained a college or professional degree (Census Scope, 2006).

In 2000, approximately 15% of the working men and women in Las Vegas worked in the art, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food industries (Population Studies Center of the University of Michigan, n.d.). The national average in 2000 was 4% for entertainment and food, 4% professional, and 7% in manufacturing (Population Studies Center of the University of Michigan, n.d.). The unemployment rate in Nevada in April 2007 was 4.4%, compared to the national average of 4.5% (United States Department of Labor, n.d.). The unemployment rate in Las Vegas was 4.3% in April 2007 (United States Department of Labor, n.d.).

Also, results of a study by Lee, Sax, Kim, and Hagedorn (2004) utilizing 5,000 students from nine campuses of the Los Angeles Community College District, reported varied proportions of minority students across parental education levels. Lee (2004) reflected that Latino/a and Mexican-American students were in all likelihood designate of first-generation position, and the maximum percentage of the students' parents had completed only junior high school level of education or less.

Health Effects

The human body has no beneficial uses for lead, there is no nutritional value, and it is highly toxic (Williams, James, & Roberts, 2000). Lead has been shown to cause neurological damage to both animals and humans alike. The most susceptible human populations to lead poisoning are young children and occupationally exposed workers (Williams, James, & Roberts, 2000; Goyer, 1990). Exposure to lead in high enough doses can, and has, lead to death (Nadakavukaren, 2006; Williams, James, & Roberts, 2000).

Lead is known to affect many major organs and systems throughout the body such as the kidneys, liver, central nervous system, reproductive system, and the developing fetus. Of all of the complications or detrimental effects that lead is known to cause, neurological damage to children is the most detrimental (Myers, Davidson, Weitzman, & Lanphear, 1997).

There is evidence of presence of lead in soil, dust and drinking water as well as in paint that can cause bad effects to health of Nevada community.

It is reported that over the last two decades that poverty has become centered in inner-city neighborhoods among poor African-Americans (McLoyd, 1998). They are at a disadvantage because of the lack of accessible jobs, the absence of high-quality public and private services including but not limited to child care facilities, schools, and community centers, and the increase in exposure to environmental stressors (McLoyd, 1998). Children from lower socioeconomic classes are subject to higher rates of residing in older structures containing lead-based paint in poorer conditions, leaded soldered water service lines, and higher exposures to industry and automobile pollution (McLoyd, 1998). According to the 2000 U.S. Census approximately 33.9 million people were living below poverty levels, of those 33.9 million people, 16.6% were children (Bishaw & Iceland, 2003).