Jonathan Schwabish
Washington, D.C.
📈Economist & DataViz
🕸@urbaninstitute @PolicyViz
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Articles by Jonathan Schwabish
How to Fund Social Security with the Economy We Have
For more than 90 years, Social Security has rested on three promises: Benefits will be there when people need them; they will remain progressive, helping protect workers with lower lifetime earnings; and they will be reliable and easily accessible to people across the country. Workers contribute throughout their careers and rightly regard Social Security as something they have paid into.
Funding Social Security with More Than Just Payroll Taxes
To address Social Security’s projected trust fund depletion through changes to benefits, policymakers have typically focused on a familiar set of reform levers: changing the benefit formula—either the initial calculation or how benefits grow after claiming—or changing eligibility rules, such as the early retirement age or who qualifies for spousal and survivor benefits.
Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction
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Social Security Is Running Out of Money-And Congress Might Count It as Savings
Last week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) updated its 10-year budget baseline of taxes and spending under current law. For decades, Congress has relied on the CBO’s baseline to determine the cost of—or “score”—proposed tax and spending legislation, shaping how legislators assess and debate the federal budget. But the 10-year window can be misleading.
Which Communities Stand to Lose the Most Business and Tax Revenue if Social Security Benefits Are Cut?
Social Security benefits are commonly conceptualized as a support for individuals—money to help buoy Americans in retirement or when living with a disability. However, these benefits also have real effects on the businesses and governments of the communities in which these beneficiaries live. If benefits are reduced, not only will people and families face hard decisions, but states and local businesses may also see increased budgetary pressures.
What Happens If the Census Doesn’t Count Everyone?
In recent weeks, President Trump has indicated that he wants the US Census Bureau to start work on a “new” census that would explicitly exclude people living in the country without legal status, including those who are undocumented or living in the country without proper authorization. Changing who gets counted in the census has real consequences. The census determines how many seats each state gets in Congress and how many Electoral College votes they have in presidential elections.
How did consumers change their grocery spending in response to changes in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit generosity?
Lawmakers invested trillions of dollars in economic recovery efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of providing support to families who lost their jobs or wages as well as those who were least able to buttress the impacts of the pandemic. These pandemic impacts extend beyond COVID-19 mortality risk to an increased likelihood of job loss, housing eviction, household debt, and food insecurity (e.g., Despard et al., 2020).
As DOGE rips through the federal government, Texans wonder what it means for them
"As DOGE rips through the federal government, Texans wonder what it means for them" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Workforce Cuts to Federal Agencies Will Affect Communities Around the Country
During the opening months of the Trump administration, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has cut or threatened to cut the jobs of thousands of federal workers. Previous Urban work showed these cuts will likely affect communities nationwide, especially smaller areas that rely heavily on federal jobs, including those near military installations, federal correctional facilities, and large Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.
Social Security Office Closures Will Hurt Rural and Tribal Communities
The federal workforce reductions pursued by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have so far lacked concrete details about who and what areas will be affected. But recently, DOGE announced 47 Social Security Administration (SSA) offices that it plans to close or consolidate, for an estimated budget reduction of about $285 million. On March 19, this list was updated to just 23 closures.
Car Manufacturing Plant Shutdowns Could Cost Half a Million US Jobs
Most of these plants are in relatively small counties with relatively low median household incomes. Only two of the counties—Los Angeles County, California, and Bexar County, Texas, (home to San Antonio)—have labor forces that exceed 1 million people. In 12 of the 17 counties, the median household income sits below the national median. For the most part, these plants are important pieces of the local job market.
The Implications of Shrinking the Federal Workforce by DOGE’s Recommended 75 Percent
President-elect Donald Trump tasked Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with running the new nongovernmental Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” or, in their own words, “cut the federal government down to size.” How DOGE plans to cut $2 trillion from the $6.1 trillion federal budget and reduce the federal workforce by 75 percent remains to be seen.
What Would Reducing the Federal Workforce Look Like for America?
This brief examines what would happen to local unemployment rates throughout the US if the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were to cut 75 percent of the federal workforce. The analysis uses geographic-specific counts of federal civilian employees from the US Office of Personnel Management and Bureau of Labor Statistics to simulate a 75 percent reduction in the federal workforce. The federal civilian workforce is spread across the country.
Do No Harm Guide: Global Perspectives on Equity in Research and Data
Context plays a crucial role in shaping research agendas, priorities, and methods. At the Urban Institute, our work predominantly focuses on experiences within the United States, but we recognize that best practices in the US may not produce the same outcomes in international contexts. Contextual factors, such as the resources, history, and politics of a place or time, will influence decisionmaking and can hinder research collaboration.
Do No Harm guide: crafting equitable data narratives
Description So much of our world derives from framing—the narratives we lift up, the words we use, the images we show, the data we highlight. But there are also the narratives we ignore, the words we leave unsaid, the images we overlook, and the data we omit. All these framing decisions embolden and enrich some people while demonizing or minimizing others. This sixth guide of the Urban Institute’s Do No Harm project explores the concept of crafting equitable data narratives. What does equity mean?
Data Visualization in Excel
Skip to main content To hear autocomplete suggestions tab past the search button after typing keywords. Table of Contents Book Description Critics' Reviews 1st Edition By Jonathan Schwabish Copyright 2023 400 Pages 349 Color Illustrations by A K Peters/CRC Press 400 Pages 349 Color Illustrations by A K Peters/CRC Press This book closes the gap between what people think Excel can do and what they can achieve in the tool.
Technology and Disability: The Relationship Between Broadband Access and Disability Insurance Awards
Abstract This paper examines the association between Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) awards, disability, and technology access. It uses multiple data sources, regression analyses, and geospatial analysis to document the geographic variation in these relationships.
Considerations for Ensuring Data Aggregation Is as Inclusive as Possible
Data analysts sometimes lump together populations with small sample sizes—often racial and ethnic groups—out of convenience. But doing so can have harmful effects on those communities. Combining groups with different experiences can obscure specific communities’ circumstances and paint an inaccurate picture.
Choosing Chart Types: Consider Context
Quantitative UX data can be incredibly powerful. It can help us make decisions, end arguments, or even prove the value of our work. However, I often find that many UX professionals struggle to present their data. In particular, they rarely put together compelling, easy-to-interpret charts. You don’t have to have extensive visual-design skills to create good charts from your analytics data or other quantitative UX data.
Why Disability Insurance Participation Might Be Higher in Some Parts of the Country
Each year, the Social Security Administration provides disability insurance (DI) program benefits to roughly 750,000 new people. Although the financial and economic criteria used to determine these awards are the same across the nation, award rates and the health conditions leading to awards vary at the state and local levels. We want to know why. Specifically, why do certain areas of the country have higher-than-expected DI awards for certain types of disabling conditions?
Are There “Hot Spots” of Primary Impairments among New SSDI Awardees - and Do We Know Why?
Abstract This paper examines local-level variation in the primary disabling conditions of new awardees for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) from 2005 through 2018. It uses data from the Social Security Administration’s Disability Analysis File data linked to other publicly available information from the American Community Survey and Area Health Resource File. The analysis is at the level of U.S. Census Bureau Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs).
Understanding the Local-Level Predictors of Disability Program Flows: New Adult Awards and Beneficiary Work Activity
Abstract This paper examines factors that are associated with area-level benefit awards for Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as well as the work activity of DI and SSI beneficiaries.
Are Your Data Visualizations Racist? (SSIR)
(Illustration by iStock/filo) Through rigorous, data-based analysis, researchers and analysts can add to our understanding of societal shortcomings and point toward evidence-based solutions. But carelessly collecting and communicating data can lead to analyses and visualizations that have an outsized capacity to mislead, misrepresent, and harm communities already experiencing inequity and discrimination.
The Relationship Between Disability Insurance Receipt and Food Insecurity
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between rates of food insecurity, people with disabilities, and awards for the Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) program from 2010 to 2019. It uses unique data on food establishment locations combined with estimates of food insecurity and food prices from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap project, DI award rates from the Social Security Administration, as well as demographic and socioeconomic information from the American Community Survey.
21 Must-Read Data Visualization Books, According to Experts
The best data visualizations books have (pardon the pun) a long shelf life. While new tools emerge and old ones evolve, so many core best practices in data visualization remain evergreen - be they color selection, axis orientation, the appropriateness (or gratuitousness) of animation or interactivity in a given context, and far beyond.
Do No Harm Guide: Applying Equity Awareness in Data Visualization
Through rigorous, data-based analysis, researchers and analysts can add to our understanding of societal shortcomings and point toward evidence-based actions to address them. But when data are collected and communicated carelessly, data analysis and data visualizations have an outsize capacity to mislead, misrepresent, and harm communities that already experience inequity and discrimination.
Combining Racial Groups in Data Analysis Can Mask Important Differences in Communities
Surveys, datasets, and published research often lump together racial and ethnic groups, which can erase the experiences of certain communities. Combining groups with different experiences can mask how specific groups and communities are faring and, in turn, affect how government funds are distributed, how services are provided, and how groups are perceived. Large surveys that collect data on race and ethnicity are used to disburse government funds and services in a number of ways.
AK Peters Visualization Series
Data Visualization in Excel: A Guide for Beginners, Intermediates, and Wonks 1st Edition Forthcoming By Jonathan Schwabish May 31, 2023 This book closes the gap between what people think Excel can do and what they can achieve in the tool. Over the past few years, recognition of the importance of effectively visualizing data has led to an explosion of data analysis and visualization software tools. But for many people, Microsoft ...
Video: Mark Blyth on Global Trumpism and the Future of the Global Economy
“With considerable sophistication and a good dose of humor, this book dissects the popular anger that has made our economics unsustainable and our politics dysfunctional. Lonergan and Blyth rightly call for a reset of our current model of capitalism. To their great credit, they also provide creative—and practical—ideas for moving forward.” —Dani Rodrik, Harvard University Why are measures of stress and anxiety on the rise when economists and politicians tell us we have never had it so good?
How Social Sector Organizations Can Design Human Connections in the Digital Age
Webinar price: $69 Price includes access to live webinar & 1 year video recording Leadership Presented by Holly May Mahoney and Matthew McStravick Moderated by Aaron Bady Date Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Time 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PT / 2-3:30 p.m. ET This 90-minute interactive SSIR Live! webinar-workshop will include: An introduction to the principles, conditions, and methods of the “Human Connection Framework” A walk-through of the human-centered design thinking process, showcasing co-creation...
Applying Racial Equity Awareness in Data Visualization
The following post is a summarized version of the article accepted to the 2020 Visualization for Communication workshop as part of the 2020 IEEE VIS conference to be held in October 2020. The full paper has been published as an OSF Preprint and can be accessed here. The Urban Institute’s mission is to open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions.
Ten Guidelines for Better Tables
Abstract Tables are a unique form of visualizing data because, unlike many charts, they are not usually intended to give a quick, visual representation of data. Instead, tables are useful when you want to show the exact values of your data or estimates. They are not the best solution if you want to show a lot of data or if you want to show the data in a compact space, but a well-designed table can help your reader find specific numbers and discover patterns and outliers.
Racial Inequities Will Grow Unless We Consciously Work to Eliminate Them
The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic promises to affect families across the United States and future generations for years to come. The downturn will likely hit African Americans hardest, exacerbating large, long-standing racial wealth gaps. Because these inequities have historical roots, looking at how they contribute to intergenerational inequality can help citizens, policymakers, and stakeholders create policies that move the country toward racial equity.
Strategies and Challenges in Feeding Out-of-School Students
See Full Report Author(s): Urban Institute Jonathan Schwabish Nathan Joo Elaine Waxman Natalie Spievack Published: Apr. 21, 2020 Report Intro/Brief: “In response to school closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s school nutrition programs have transformed into emergency community feeding systems, delivering meals to out-of-school students, their families, and in many districts, other members of the community.
Strategies and Challenges in Feeding Out-of-School Students
Strategies and Challenges in Feeding Out-of-School Students In response to school closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s school nutrition programs have transformed into emergency community feeding systems, delivering meals to out-of-school students, their families, and in many districts, other members of the community.
Use the “Pyramid Philosophy” to Better Communicate Your Research
Great research—whether it comes from academia, nonprofit organizations, or business thought leaders—needs a plan to make an impact. A good communications strategy can ensure that the biggest audience, and ultimately the right audience, engages with the findings and applies them. The Urban Institute’s communications team structures dissemination efforts around what we call the “pyramid philosophy,” which pairs the complexity of research with the size of the audience.
Urban Institute: Data Visualization Workshops
Nov 13 Urban Institute: Data Visualization Workshops WWS MPP and MPA students only. The Stokes Viz Hub, in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson School (WWS) of Public and International Affairs, will be hosting three data visualization workshops taught by Jonathan Schwabish from the Urban Institute. The workshops are scheduled for 1:30-2:30 p.m., 3:00-4:00p.m., and 4:30-5:30 p.m. Jonathan Schwabish is a senior fellow in the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban Institute.
Categorizing and Ranking Graphs in the American Economic Review Over the Last Century
Date created: | Last Updated: : DOI | ARK Creating DOI. Please wait... Create DOI Category: Project Description: The American Economic Review (AER) is one of the most prestigious journals in the field of economics. First published in 1911, the journal has published articles covering every aspect and topic in the field. AER articles are not just in-depth prose; they might also include tables, diagrams, and graphs.
Decoding DataViz: How to Fact Check Charts and Visuals
The event will also be webcast live on this page. Registration is not required to view the webcast. Every day we are bombarded by data, graphs, and charts. But how do we know we are being shown the truth? Charts can lie in various ways—displaying incomplete or inaccurate data, suggesting misleading patterns, and concealing uncertainty. They are also frequently misunderstood.
How We Define “Middle Class” Has Broad Implications
In July, the New York Times asked readers to describe what it’s like to be middle class in America. From more than 500 responses, the Times highlighted stories from seven families around the country with annual incomes that ranged from $75,000 to $400,000. The story prompted important conversations about how we define “middle class” in America. Should it be based on income? Wealth? How about the share of homeownership or stable employment?
Data visualization for economists
March 23, 2018 Data visualization for economists An interview with Jonathan Schwabish Economists can follow a few basic principles to make their research more accessible. ziko/Bigstock It can be hard to put research into words — let alone pictures. So in 2014, Jonathan Schwabish wrote “An Economist’s Guide to Visualizing Data.” Four years later, his advice, critiques, and insights into the world of data visualization are still as relevant as ever.
Misleading data and visualizations
Have you ever looked at a graph and wondered, “What is this trying to tell me?” Or flipped through a report and examined a chart, only to wonder whether the author is trying to hide information? The questions we ask when we examine data and data visualizations can be crucial to how we understand complicated issues and how we communicate research.
How to define a map’s bins to visualize your data
How many maps have you seen and not thought twice about how the data are plotted? Has the author carefully considered the colors assigned to the geographic units? Are the data placed into reasonably sized bins or groups? How were those bins chosen? Too often, we let our software tools make these decisions for us. But when we take greater control of these choices, we can make conscious, purposeful decisions that help readers reach conclusions and gain insights from the data.
How we can better visualize analysis of tax reform legislation
Over the past couple weeks, we’ve seen table after table presenting estimates of the impact of the tax reform legislation Congress is debating. Although these tables are useful, they are less engaging on my Twitter feed than, say, a graph would be. So when I saw Michael Linden tweeted this table from the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), I thought I’d turn it into a graph to help people more easily see the important information it contained.
How a map’s “bins” can influence your perception of an important policy issue
Our perception of data can influence our perception of an issue. Current budget debates in Congress offer an example of data visualization’s power over how we understand complex policy debates, such as how to address the looming funding shortfall for the Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) program. More than 12 million Americans received benefits from the DI program in 2015.
Best Practices for Moderators
This Best Practices for Moderators guide serves as a tip sheet for people who are going to facilitate a panel discussion. Panel discussions can present an array of challenges for moderators. Panelists may have very different viewpoints, presentation styles, or preparation levels. Their presentations may run over time or be marred by technical difficulties.
Why do more New Englanders receive Disability Insurance benefits for mental disorders?
A greater share of people in New England states receive Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) benefits for mental disorders than the share nationwide. We don’t definitively know why, but evidence suggests that demographics and economics play a large role, as does greater access to health insurance and health care.
Efforts to reform the Disability Insurance program should start now
The Social Security disability benefits program, which millions of Americans rely on, is under considerable fiscal strain. The smart path to reform involves in-depth research and analysis to understand how changes will affect beneficiaries, but that work has to start now to be effective. The program’s trust fund is projected to be exhausted in 2023, so policymakers are wasting valuable time.
Reforming the Disability Insurance Program Should Start Now
The Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) program pays out more benefits than it collects in revenues, placing it under considerable fiscal strain. Fundamental reforms could help solidify the system’s long-term financial footing, but such reforms require in-depth research and analysis. Enacting a policy that redefines disability, for example, requires demonstration projects or pilot programs. Those types of projects take time to be designed and put in place, and their outcomes must be analyzed.
Geographic Patterns in Disability Insurance Receipt
This brief examines correlates of DI benefit receipt for people with mental disorders, focusing on the higher rate of receipt in the six New England states. In 2015, 1.8 percent of all 18- to 65-year-olds across the country received DI benefits because of mental disorders. That recipiency rate was markedly higher in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
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