Colorado Health and Climate Index 2022

The Colorado Health Institute's 2022 Health and Climate Index analyzes the risks Colorado counties face due to climate change in four areas: Exposure to climate-related environmental exposures, social factors that have been linked to climate vulnerability, health outcomes and access, and plans and perceptions related to climate change and health.

The Index ranks Colorado regions for 32 variables related to health and climate. It is based on data from 2017 to 2021, depending on the most recent year for which all data points were available.

Counties are organized into quadrants for each category that indicate their position relative to the rest of the state: Highest risk, high risk, moderate risk, and lowest risk. These are indicated on maps below.

Read more about this Index and its implications from the report:  Think Globally, Adapt Locally . For a full list of metrics and methods, click the "Data and Sources" tab above. This Index is an update to a 2019 report and mapping tool.

Click on a tab in the map below to explore the index by category. Each map includes a list of layers that can be turned on by clicking the box next to the label. CHI recommends viewing one layer at a time. If multiple layers are turned on, only the top selection on the list will be displayed.

Users can view the overall risk score for each category and the underlying metrics that contributed to the ranking. You can learn more about each county by clicking on it.

Metric References

• ACS: American Community Survey
• BRFSS: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
• CHAS: Colorado Health Access Survey
• PRISM: Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model
• U.S. Drought Monitor: U.S. Drought Monitor
• Yale: Yale Climate Opinion Maps, 2021
• CSFS: Colorado State Forest Service
• Global: Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy
• CC4CA: Colorado Communities for Climate Action
• CDHSEM: Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• FSF: First Street Foundation

• Number of extreme heat days (at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit) (PRISM, 2021)
• Percentage of land rated moderate to highest risk for a fire occurring and possible loss or harm from a wildfire (CSFS, 2017)
• Percentage of weeks that any percentage of the county’s population is in severe, extreme, or exceptional drought (US Drought Monitor, 2021)
• Percentage of population that lives in a Wildland Urban Interface (CSFS, 2017)
• Community Flooding Risk: Minimal, Minor, Moderate, Major, Severe and Extreme (FSF, 2021)

• Percentage of population age 18 and older who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (BRFSS, 2018-2020)
• Percentage of population age 18 and older who have diabetes (BRFSS, 2018-2020)
• Percentage of population age 18 and older who have asthma (BRFSS, 2018-2020)
• Percentage of population age 18 and older who have cardiovascular disease (BRFSS, 2018-2020)
• Percentage of population age 18 and older who were diagnosed with depression (BRFSS, 2018-2020)
• Percentage of population without health insurance (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population age 18 and older who are obese (BRFSS, 2018-2020)
• Percentage of population who reported they experienced infrastructure barriers when trying to seek care (appointment, insurance, new patient) (CHAS, 2021)

• Percentage of the population age 5 and younger (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of the population age 17 and younger (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of the population age 65 and older (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population who are Black or African American (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population who are Hispanic or Latino/a (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population who are American Indian or Alaska Native (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population in households with incomes below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of the labor force that was unemployed (ages 16 and older) (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population without a high school diploma (ages 25 and older) (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population living in homes built before 1980 (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population who speak a language other than English at home (ages 5 and older) (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population with a cognitive difficulty (ACS, 2015-2019)
• Percentage of population living with an ambulatory difficulty (ACS, 2015-2019)

• Percentage of population who believe that global warming is currently happening (Yale, 2021)
• Percentage of population who believe that the impacts from global warming will harm them personally (Yale, 2021)
• Percentage of population who believe that global warming will harm future generations (Yale, 2021)
• Percentage of population who believe their local officials should do more to address global warming (Yale, 2021)
• Percentage of population who believe global warming is already harming people (Yale, 2021)
• Local and County Plans: The percentage of the following climate related plans or commitments the county has developed or participated in:
  • County or major city in the county has a climate action or adaptation plan (various sources)
  • County or major city in the county is a member of the Colorado Communities for Climate Action coalition or is a member of Global Covenant of Mayors (CC4CA, 2022)
  • County has a hazard mitigation plan (CDHSEM, 2022)
  • County has a wildfire protection plan (CFSF, 2022)