Social Vulnerability
Identifying potentially at-risk communities
"Social vulnerability refers to the potential negative effects on communities caused by external stresses on human health. Such stresses include natural or human-caused disasters, or disease outbreaks. Reducing social vulnerability can decrease both human suffering and economic loss." (CDC/ATDSR)
Index values are between 0 and 1. Darker colors represent numbers closer to 1 or more vulnerable. Click the legend icon in the lower left to display.
Click on any census tract to display more information about overall SVI.
"Socially Vulnerable Populations include those who have special needs, such as, but not limited to, people without vehicles, people with disabilities, older adults, and people with limited English proficiency." (CDC/ATDSR)
"The CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (CDC/ATSDR SVI) uses 15 U.S. census variables to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters." (CDC/ATDSR)
Overall vulnerability is composed of four main components:
Once again, clicking on individual tracts will display more information about each theme.
Since each component is made up of several variables, they can be further broken down with American Community Survey (ACS) data.
The following four maps dive into the variables that make up each of the SVI components.
Socioeconomic Variables:
This layer shows the percentage of the population whose income falls below the federal poverty level.
This layer shows the percentage of unemployed population within the civilian labor force.
The national median household income is $62,800.
This layer shows the percentage of adults who did not graduate high school.
Household Composition Variables:
This layer shows the percentage of the population who are considered dependent (ages 65+ and <18). Click on a tract for a better breakdown.
This layer shows the percentage of the population with a disability.
This layer shows the percent of children without a residential parent in the labor force. The SVI actually uses single parent households as a variable, but that's almost all of them so it wasn't included.
While age alone isn't a variable in the SVI, it is interesting to see where different areas fall on either side of the median: 39.6.
Race/Language Variables:
This layer shows the predominant race living within an area. Click on a tract to see the numbers.
This layer shows the percentage of adult (18+) population who have limited English ability.
Housing/Transportation Variables:
This layer shows housing units that are single-family detached homes.
This layer shows the percent of housing units that are mobile homes.
Also known as people per household
This layer shows the percentage of households with no available vehicle.
"The CDC/ATSDR SVI can help public health officials and local planners better prepare for and respond to emergency events like hurricanes, disease outbreaks, or exposure to dangerous chemicals." (CDC/ATSDR)
Maps and data can be used to:
- Determine locations for emergency shelters
- Anticipate supplies needed like food, bottled water, medicine, and bedding
- Allocate emergency personal to particular areas
- Plan evacuation routes and bring in support for evacuating people without vehicles, the elderly, or people who are not proficient in English
- Anticipate the need for continued support for recovering from an emergency or natural disaster
