Vital Signs 21, an annual report tracking more than 100 indicators that take the pulse of neighborhood health and vitality across Baltimore, has been released by the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance-Jacob France Institute (BNIA-JFI) at The University of Baltimore.  

Vital Signs 21 presents an emerging picture of what recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic looks like for Baltimore neighborhoods. Not unexpectedly, the pandemic's effects were uneven. In 2021, while housing prices in the city spiked sharply and houses spent fewer days on the market, many residents struggled to afford housing. For youth, chronic absenteeism among elementary, middle, and high school students rose in communities with the highest percentages of children living below the poverty line. 

The report also contains notes of optimism, e.g., between 2020 and 2021, the number of publicly funded murals increased from 382 to 444—a reminder of how public and accessible art provided respite for residents during the pandemic. Additionally, while Part I crime offenses rose slightly from 2020-21, the 2021 rate still shows an overall decrease in crime from 2017.  

Vital Signs 21's dozens of indicators, including data, chapters, visualizations, and maps, are available for review on the BNIA-JFI website. 

Baltimore community groups are invited to find out more about Vital Signs indicators pertaining to their neighborhoods. Send an email to bnia-jfi@ubalt.edu to schedule a virtual or in-person presentation.