Survey shows that despite Barrington's wealth, financial concerns remain

Barrington-area residents are among the nation's wealthiest, they're living longer and they crave more local dining options, according to the results of the comprehensive 2014 Healthier Barrington Study, presented to the public Thursday morning at the Barrington Area Library.

Julie Mayer, director of community and government relations at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, said the survey asked questions on all the things that relate to a healthy community, from health care access and unemployment to lighter topics like preferred shopping and dining locations.

"It's not just your typical health that you think about like blood pressure or absence of disease, but also things that lead to a quality of life," Mayer said.

Joel Cowen, the community researcher who has helped run the survey since 1996, said the results show that despite the area's wealth, concerns about poverty and unemployment exist under the surface.

Cowen said the household income for the area is well over twice the national level, and Barrington's 60010 ZIP code is the seventh-wealthiest ZIP code in the nation with at least 20,000 people. The median home value is $557,000, about four times the national average of $181,400.

But 13 percent of respondents said they have put off health care over the last three years because of the cost, and 11.1 percent said they had difficulty paying bills, results show.

When asked about recreation, respondents' top wish was more dining options in Barrington.

Joyce Palmquist, executive director of the Barrington Area Council on Aging, said she was frustrated that the results show there is still not a wide awareness of community services.

"Some areas we focus on a lot because they are governmental entities," Palmquist said. "Some of us are under the radar screen and there is a challenge to enhance our awareness."

Mayer said the results show little awareness of the 2-1-1 phone service that connects Barrington-area residents with a live operator who can help link them to local agencies, information and even crisis counseling.

The survey was conducted by the Healthier Barrington Coalition, which is made up of 25 area organizations.

"We want people and organizations to look at the results and use the results for their strategic planning," Mayer said. "Use this to try to keep Barrington a healthy place to live and work and play."

Mayer said Good Shepherd, which sponsored the survey, will post a link to the survey results in about three weeks.