Community-Based Data
Together, we hold the answers.
Community-Based Data
Listening to families. Understanding experiences. Using data to inform change.
At Partnership for Community Action, we believe families are experts in their own experiences and should have a voice in shaping the policies and systems that impact their lives.
Through our partnership with the RAPID Survey Project, based at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, we gather timely, community-based data directly from parents, guardians, and early childhood providers caring for children under the age of 6. Throughout these pages, we refer to survey participants collectively as caregivers.
Each survey explores different aspects of family life—from economic stability and child care to neighborhood conditions, access to resources, and family well-being. Together, these findings help us identify patterns, understand where families continue to face barriers, and bring community experiences and data into conversations about programs, investments, and public policy.
The pages below share what caregivers told us and what we are learning together.
Where We Surveyed
The RAPID surveys were conducted online and were open to caregivers with young children living across Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Respondents represented communities throughout the city and county, providing a broad view of the experiences, needs, and well-being of families with young children.
Throughout the survey findings, we look at responses in two ways: all respondents and South Valley respondents. Because Partnership for Community Action is rooted in Albuquerque's South Valley, we look more closely at responses from caregivers living in this community to better understand their experiences alongside the broader group of survey respondents.
The South Valley data represents a closer look within the larger survey—not a separate survey.
What We Do With What We Learn
Listening to families is only the beginning. We use what caregivers share with us to better understand what families are experiencing, strengthen our work, and bring community priorities into the decisions that affect families.
Understand what families are experiencing
We look across survey responses to identify common experiences, changing needs, and barriers affecting families and communities.
Share what we learn
We make these findings accessible to families, community partners, policymakers, and others working to improve conditions for families with young children.
Inform our programs and partnerships
We use what we learn to strengthen PCA's work and help shape conversations and strategies with our community and organizational partners.
Inform policy and systems change
We bring community experiences and data into policy conversations so that decisions about families are informed by the people most directly impacted.
How to Use This Data
These findings are meant to be shared and used. RAPID combines rigorous research practices with a community-based approach that engages trusted local organizations in survey development, outreach, interpretation, and communication. This partnership allows us to pair research expertise with PCA's knowledge of and relationships within our community.
We invite community members, organizations, researchers, advocates, policymakers, and other partners to use these findings to better understand the experiences of families with young children and to inform conversations, programs, advocacy, research, and public policy.
These findings reflect the experiences of the caregivers who participated and should be understood within that context. They are not intended to represent the experiences of every family in Albuquerque or Bernalillo County.
When sharing or using findings from these surveys, please acknowledge Partnership for Community Action (PCA) and the RAPID Survey Project at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood as the source of the data and provide a link back to this site so others can explore the findings and their full context.
For additional information about survey design, data collection, analysis, and research practices, visit the RAPID Survey Project methodology.
Community-Based Data Surveys
Family Experiences & Well-Being
RAPID Survey Results · Albuquerque 2024
Our first survey provided a broad look at the experiences of Albuquerque caregivers across several areas of family life.
caregivers shared their experiences.
Explore Survey 1Neighborhoods, Family Stress, and Access to Services
RAPID Survey Results · Albuquerque 2025
This survey explored how Albuquerque caregivers experience their neighborhoods, stressors, and access to services.
caregivers shared their experiences.
Explore Survey 2Economic Stability, Housing, Food Access, and Child Care
RAPID Survey Results · Albuquerque 2025–2026
This survey explored economic conditions shaping daily life, including financial stability, housing, food, and child care.
caregivers shared their experiences.
Explore Survey 3Our Partnership
The RAPID Survey Project uses established research methods to collect and analyze information about the experiences of families with young children. Combined with PCA's community-based outreach, these surveys provide timely, locally grounded data that can help identify patterns, better understand family experiences, and bring community perspectives into decision-making.
Get Involved
We invite community members, organizations, researchers, advocates, policymakers, and other partners to use these findings to inform conversations, programs, advocacy, research, and public policy.
Community Based Data Survey 1
RAPID Survey Results · Albuquerque 2024
At the Partnership for Community Action, we are proud to collaborate with the RAPID Survey Project to ensure that the real-life experiences of our New Mexico families and early childhood providers are heard. This survey provides us with vital, real-time data on the well-being and economic needs of our community, transforming your personal stories into the "hard evidence" we need to strengthen our programs and advocate for more equitable policies at the state level. We are deeply grateful to everyone who participates; by sharing your voice, you are providing the essential insights that guide our decision-making and help us build a future where every family in our community has the opportunity to thrive.
🌻 484 families shared their experiences - this is what we learned together.
What we learned 📊
🏠 Family needs & priorities: making ends meet
When asked about hardships, material hardship touched 76% of families. 42.3% say it's "very hard" to pay for basics. Top concerns: housing, food, healthcare.
🚧 Barriers to access
Only half of caregivers have insurance; 7.4% delayed medical care. Top reasons: unable to take time off work (82%), cost (71%), no childcare (41%).
💪 Community strengths & assets
Despite challenges, 79.8% feel hopeful. Grandparents, neighbors, and FFN care are lifelines: 38% use neighbor care, 22% grandparent care.
🏥 Experiences with services
Only 47.8% of children under 6 have insurance. 59% of those who missed checkups also missed vaccines — but 92% later resumed. Satisfaction is mixed.
Who participated 👥
Sample Size: 484 caregivers
Race & Ethnicity
Income Levels (FPL)
Disability Status
Household Structure
Key takeaways ⚡
What we're doing next ⚡
Community Based Data Survey 2
RAPID Survey Results · Albuquerque 2025
Our second survey snapshot continues to center the lived experiences of families and caregivers in New Mexico. These findings help us track how neighborhoods, family stress, and service access are changing over time.
🌻 Based on responses from 2,331 families
What we learned 📊
📉 Material Hardship
82% of caregivers experienced at least one material hardship in the past month. 51% said it's been hard or very hard to pay for basic needs.
By Race/Ethnicity (% reporting hard/very hard)
By Income Level (housing hardship)
Utility Hardships (past month)
Mental Health Impact from Finances
Types of Assistance Relied On
📈 Financial Mobility
56% have overdue bills or debt. Only 37% could afford a $400 emergency without debt.
Overdue Bills/Debt Sources
Overdue Rent/Mortgage by Income
Saving & Investing for Children
💼 Employment Status
89% of participants are currently working; 24% have multiple jobs.
🏠 Housing
61% of families spend more than 30% of their income on housing. 25% are at risk of losing their housing in the next 90 days.
Homeownership by Income
Eviction Reasons
Non-payment Rates by Geography
View all numeric data
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Rent | 57% |
| Own | 30% |
| At risk of losing housing (90 days) | 25% |
| Worried about paying housing costs | 57% |
| Spend >30% of income on housing | 61% |
| No housing help in past year | 50% |
| Eviction: Non-payment | 64% |
| Eviction: Lease violation | 32% |
| South Valley non-payment rate | 38% |
| Rest of Albuquerque non-payment rate | 69% |
| Low income homeownership | 25% |
| Middle income homeownership | 27% |
| High income homeownership | 75% |
Who participated 👥
Sample Size: 2,331 families
Race & Ethnicity
Race/Ethnicity Combined
Income Levels
Child Disability Status
Family Structure
Key takeaways ⚡
What we're doing next ⚡
Community Based Data Survey 3
RAPID Survey Results · Albuquerque 2025–2026
Our third survey snapshot captures the voices of over 2,100 families across Albuquerque, with a focus on financial stability, housing security, food access, child care, and the daily realities that shape family well-being. These findings reflect both persistent challenges and remarkable resilience, and they continue to guide our advocacy for equitable policies and programs that lift up every family in our community.
🌻 2,163 families shared their experiences — these are the key findings from Survey 3.
What we learned 📊
Note: The key findings are based on responses from Survey 3 only.
💰 Income & Employment
23% of caregivers have multiple jobs.
🛡️ Benefits & Subsidies
26% of participants reported applying for a federal or local benefit in the past year.
Applications by Race/Ethnicity
Benefit Utilization
Enrollment Methods
Income Level: Administrative Office Enrollment
South Valley: YES New Mexico Website Enrollment
Top Sources of Support
🧒 Child Care Access & Affordability
30% of participants reported applying for publicly funded child care. 72% of those who did not apply reported being interested in receiving public assistance for child care if it was available.
Reasons for Not Applying
Non-parental Child Care Use (children under 6)
Program Participation
📈 Financial Mobility
59% reported overdue bills or debt. Only 28% could afford a $400 emergency without debt.
Financial Stability & Outlook
Saving & Investing for Children
Overdue Bills/Debt
Sources of Overdue Bills/Debt
Financial Assets
Financial Support & Banking
Transportation
Transportation Stability
Impact on Mental Health
🏠 Housing & Utilities
52% of families spend more than 30% of their income on housing. 38% are at risk of losing their housing in the next 90 days.
Housing Status
Housing Cost Burden (>30% of income)
Housing Support Received
At Risk of Losing Housing (next 90 days)
Heating & Cooling Inadequacy
Internet/Device Access
🍎 Food Security
81% of caregivers reported that food didn't last and they had no money for more. 73% are concerned or very concerned about their children's nutrition.
Concern About Children's Nutrition
❤️ Family & Parent Well-being
76% of caregivers said work responsibilities are the biggest obstacle to quality time with children. 34% cited mental health challenges.
Obstacles to Quality Time with Children
Who participated 👥
Sample Size: 2,163 caregivers