Collin County economic report supports Plano’s plan of action in fight against COVID-19

PLANO, TX – Leaders of the nonprofit Communities Foundation of Texas said they could not have anticipated the COVID-19 crisis when they embarked last year on a comprehensive analysis of economic opportunity in Collin County.

The resulting report, released in October, now serves as a baseline for analyzing effects of the pandemic as various Plano and Collin County entities move ahead with their own priorities, CFT Chief Philanthropy Officer Sarah Cotton Nelson said.

The 44-page report, conducted by public policy nonprofit Every Texan, was initially planned for release in April. It outlines data for Collin County on economic status as related to race and ethnicity, income, educational attainment and wealth. The study’s authors used the six-month delay to craft a two-page addendum that gauges the effects of COVID-19 on employment, on job sectors and on health insurance coverage.

The report’s findings reaffirm what cities and organizations on the ground are seeing, Nelson said: disparities in education, health and wealth.

The findings indicate that the pandemic will only continue to widen the need already evident in Collin County, said Ann Beeson, who stepped down as CEO of Every Texan shortly after the report was released.