Trends in mentally unhealthy days indicate that residents are experiencing worsening mental health over time, with the county currently faring worse than the state average. Furthermore, behavioral health hospitalizations have risen sharply across multiple conditions since 2020. Alongside these challenges, infant mortality and severe maternal morbidity reveal where pregnancy and childbirth remain far more dangerous for some families than others. The Endowment is committed to expanding access to behavioral health services, improving maternal and infant health outcomes, and building a more connected system of care across the county.

From the earliest years of schooling through high school, the data show that too many students are not yet on track for long-term success — and that opportunity is unevenly distributed. Kindergarten readiness measures, third-grade reading proficiency, and college and career readiness (CCR) reveal how sharply outcomes diverge by race, income, housing stability, and language background, with disparities visible before many children reach age ten. By high school, those gaps compound. Economically disadvantaged students, homeless youth, students in foster care, and English learners face steeper barriers to graduating prepared for postsecondary education and work. The Endowment's education strategy prioritizes early literacy, whole-child supports, and pathways that help more young people graduate ready for meaningful economic opportunity.

Young people in New Hanover County bear a disproportionate burden of violence. While the county's overall homicide rate has declined in recent years, death rates from homicides among people ages 15–19 remain the highest of any age group, and the racial disparities are stark. Juvenile delinquency complaints have climbed above the state average, and weapons-related arrests among those under 18 have nearly tripled. These patterns do not emerge in isolation. Short-term suspensions and high school dropout rates — both well-documented risk factors for deeper system involvement — have risen since the pandemic. Together, these indicators trace a path from educational disruption to deeper vulnerability. The Endowment's community safety strategy centers on prevention, positive youth development, and community-based supports that can interrupt these trajectories before harm occurs.

Economic indicators in New Hanover County highlight both growth and deep structural inequity. Housing cost burden has increased across the board since 2019, with more than half of all renters now spending 30% or more of their income on housing. Black men are the only demographic group whose real earnings have declined since 2019, and median monthly rent has risen 11% in real terms — squeezing households already stretched thin. The Endowment's community development strategy focuses on building an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem, growing local talent pipelines that connect residents to high-wage careers, and supporting business innovation so that more residents and neighborhoods share in the county's economic growth.