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Methodology

UPDATED

The current version of the tool identifies communities that are disadvantaged for the purposes of the Justice40 Initiative using census tracts, which are the smallest geographic unit for which publicly-available and nationally-consistent datasets can be consistently displayed on the tool. Census tract geographical boundaries are determined by the U.S. Census Bureau once every ten years. This tool utilizes the census tract boundaries from 2010 because they match the datasets used in the tool. The U.S. Census Bureau will update these census tract boundaries in 2020.

Under the current formula, a census tract will be identified as disadvantaged in one or more categories of criteria:

IF the census tract is above the threshold for one or more environmental or climate indicators

AND the census tract is above the threshold for the socioeconomic indicators

Communities are identified as disadvantaged by the current version of the tool for the purposes of the Justice40 Initiative if they are located in census tracts that are at or above the thresholds in one or more of eight categories of criteria below.

Files available for download
Download the data sources used in the CEJST (.csv and .xlsx, 52MB unzipped), the shapefile, along with a codebook (.zip, 742MB unzipped) or the technical support document (.pdf, 913kB).
Last updated: 04/06/22
Last updated: 04/06/22
Last updated: 04/19/22

Categories

Climate change

Communities are identified as disadvantaged

IF at or above the 90th percentile for expected agriculture loss rate OR expected building loss rate OR expected population loss rate

AND is above the 65th percentile for low income AND 80% or more of individuals 15 or older are not enrolled in higher education

Clean energy and energy efficiency

Communities are identified as disadvantaged

IF at or above the 90th percentile for energy burden OR PM2.5 in the air

AND is above the 65th percentile for low income AND 80% or more of individuals 15 or older are not enrolled in higher education

Clean transit

Communities are identified as disadvantaged

IF at or above the 90th percentile for diesel particulate matter exposure or traffic proximity and volume

AND is above the 65th percentile for low income AND 80% or more of individuals 15 or older are not enrolled in higher education

Affordable and sustainable housing

Communities are identified as disadvantaged

IF at or above the 90th percentile for lead paint AND median home value is at or less than the 90th percentile OR at or above the 90th percentile for the housing cost burden

AND is above the 65th percentile for low income AND 80% or more of individuals 15 or older are not enrolled in higher education

Reduction and remediation of legacy pollution

Communities are identified as disadvantaged

IF at or above the 90th percentile for proximity to hazardous waste facilities OR proximity to National Priorities List (NPL) sites OR proximity to Risk Management Plan (RMP) facilities

AND is above the 65th percentile for low income AND 80% or more of individuals 15 or older are not enrolled in higher education

Critical clean water and wasterwater infrastructure

Communities are identified as disadvantaged

IF at or above the 90th percentile for wastewater discharge

AND is above the 65th percentile for low income AND 80% or more of individuals 15 or older are not enrolled in higher education

Health burdens

Communities are identified as disadvantaged

IF at or above the 90th percentile for asthma OR diabetes OR heart disease OR low life expectancy

AND is above the 65th percentile for low income AND 80% or more of individuals 15 or older are not enrolled in higher education

Training and workforce development

Communities are identified as disadvantaged

IF at or above the 90th percentile for low median income as a percentage of area median income OR linguistic isolation OR unemployment OR percentage of individuals in households at or below 100% Federal poverty level

AND 10% or more of adults 25 or older have not attained a high school degree AND 80% or more of individuals 15 or older are not enrolled in higher education

Datasets used in beta methodology

The datasets used in the current version of the tool come from a variety of sources and were selected based on relevance, availability, and quality. The datasets seek to identify a range of human health, environmental, climate-related, and other impacts on communities.

Low income

Percent of a census tract's population in households where household income is at or below 200% of the Federal poverty level.
  • Used in: All categories except for the training and workforce development catetory
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Higher education non-enrollment

Percent of people 15 or older who are not currently enrolled in college, university, or graduate school.
  • Used in: All categories
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico

Expected agriculture loss rate

Percent of agricultural value at risk from losses due to fourteen types of natural hazards that have some link to climate change: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, wildfire, and winter weather. Rate calculated by dividing the agricultural value at risk in a census tract by the total agricultural value in that census tract.
  • Used in: Climate change category
  • Responsible Party: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Source: National Risk Index from 2014-2021
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Expected building loss rate

Percent of building value at risk from losses due to fourteen types of natural hazards that have some link to climate change: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, wildfire, and winter weather. Rate calculated by dividing the building value at risk in a census tract by the total building value in that census tract.
  • Used in: Climate change category
  • Responsible Party: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Source: National Risk Index from 2014-2021
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Expected population loss rate

Rate relative to the population of fatalities and injuries due to fourteen types of natural hazards each year that have some link to climate change: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, wildfire, and winter weather. Population loss is defined as the Spatial Hazard Events and Losses and National Centers for Environmental Information’s (NCEI) reported number of fatalities and injuries caused by the hazard occurrence. To combine fatalities and injuries for the computation of population loss value, an injury is counted as one-tenth (1/10) of a fatality. The NCEI Storm Events Database classifies injuries and fatalities as direct or indirect. Both direct and indirect injuries and fatalities are counted as population loss. This total number of injuries and fatalities is then divided by the population in the census tract to get a per-capita rate of population risk.
  • Used in: Climate change category
  • Responsible Party: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Source: National Risk Index from 2014-2021
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Energy burden

Average annual energy cost per household ($) divided by average household income.
  • Used in: Clean energy and energy efficiency category
  • Responsible Party: Department of Energy (DOE)
  • Source: LEAD Score from 2018
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

PM2.5 in the air

Fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller. The value in the fields is the weight of these particles in micrograms per cubic meter.
  • Used in: Clean energy and energy efficiency category
  • Responsible Party: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Air and Radiation (OAR)
  • Source: Fusion of model and monitor data from 2017 as compiled by EPA’s EJScreen, sourced from EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) traffic data
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Diesel particulate matter exposure

Mixture of particles that is part of diesel exhaust in the air. The value in the fields is the weight of these particles in micrograms per cubic meter.
  • Used in: Clean transit category
  • Responsible Party: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Source: National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) from 2014 as compiled by EPA's EJScreen
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Traffic proximity and volume

Count of vehicles (average annual daily traffic) at major roads within 500 meters, divided by distance in meters.
  • Used in: Clean transit category
  • Responsible Party: Department of Transportation (DOT)
  • Source: Traffic Data from 2017 as compiled by EPA's EJScreen
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Housing cost burden

Percent of households in a census tract that are both earning less than 80% of HUD Area Median Family Income by county and are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs.

Lead paint

Percent of housing units built pre-1960, used as an indicator of potential lead paint exposure in census tracts with median home values less than the 90th percentile.
  • Used in: Affordable and sustainable housing category
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Median home value

Median home value of owner-occupied housing units in the census tract.
  • Used in: Affordable and sustainable housing category
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Proximity to hazardous waste facilities

Count of hazardous waste facilities (Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities and Large Quantity Generators) within 5 kilometers (or nearest beyond 5 kilometers), each divided by distance in kilometers.
  • Used in: Reduction and remediation of legacy pollution category
  • Responsible Party: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Source: Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (TSDF) data from 2020 calculated from EPA's RCRA database as compiled by EPA's EJScreen
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Proximity to National Priorities List (NPL) sites

Count of proposed or listed NPL - also known as Superfund - sites within 5 kilometers (or nearest one beyond 5 kilometers), each divided by distance in kilometers.
  • Used in: Reduction and remediation of legacy pollution category
  • Responsible Party: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Source: CERCLIS database from 2020 as compiled by EPA’s EJScreen
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Proximity to Risk Management Plan (RMP) facilities

Count of RMP (potential chemical accident management plan) facilities within 5 kilometers (or nearest one beyond 5 kilometers), each divided by distance in kilometers.
  • Used in: Reduction and remediation of legacy pollution category
  • Responsible Party: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Source: RMP database from 2020 as compiled by EPA’s EJScreen
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Wastewater discharge

Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) modeled toxic concentrations at stream segments within 500 meters, divided by distance in kilometers.
  • Used in: Critical clean water and wastewater infrastructure category
  • Responsible Party: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Source: Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) Model from 2020 as compiled by EPA’s EJScreen
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Asthma

Weighted percent of people who answer “yes” to both of the following questions: “Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that you have asthma?” and “Do you still have asthma?”
  • Used in: Health burdens category
  • Responsible Party: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Source: PLACES data from 2016-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Diabetes

Weighted percent of people ages 18 years and older who report having ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professionals that they have diabetes other than diabetes during pregnancy.
  • Used in: Health burdens category
  • Responsible Party: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Source: PLACES data from 2016-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Heart disease

Weighted percent of people ages 18 years and older who report ever having been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professionals that they had angina or coronary heart disease.
  • Used in: Health burdens category
  • Responsible Party: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Source: PLACES data from 2016-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states and the District of Columbia

Low life expectancy

Average number of years of life a person who has attained a given age can expect to live.

Note: The percentiles for this dataset have been reversed so that census tracts with lower numbers have higher life expectancies and the census tracts with higher numbers have lower life expectancy when compared to life expectancy in the area.

Low median income

Median income of the census tract calculated as a percent of the area’s median income.

Note: The percentiles for this dataset have been reversed so that census tracts with lower numbers have higher median incomes and census tracts with the higher numbers have lower median income when compared to area median income.

  • Used in: Training and workforce development category
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2010
  • Available for: American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands

Linguistic isolation

Percent of households where no one over the age 14 speaks English well.
  • Used in: Training and workforce development category
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico

Unemployment

Number of unemployed people as a percentage of the civilian labor force.
  • Used in: Training and workforce development category
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2010
  • Available for: American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands

Poverty

Percent of a census tract's population in households where the household income is at or below 100% of the Federal poverty level.
  • Used in: Training and workforce development category
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2010
  • Available for: American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands

High school degree non-attainment

Percent of people age 25 years or older in a census tract whose education level is less than a high school diploma.
  • Used in: Training and workforce development category
  • Responsible Party: Census
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2015-2019
  • Available for: All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
  • Source: American Community Survey from 2010
  • Available for: American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands
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