CA Neighborhoods and Renter Vulnerability

This project focuses on identifying the broad vulnerabilities to COVID-19 and their disparities across neighborhoods in California. For this analysis, the census tract is the basic unit of analysis and serves as a reasonable proxy for neighborhood bounds. This analysis examines five dimensions of vulnerability across these tracts:

  1. Which communities have high numbers of renter households that are experiencing extreme financial hardships;
  2. Which communities are most at risk from job displacement in the hospitality, retail, personal care, and service sectors;
  3. Which communities are at risk due to a disproportionate high percentage of residents not enrolled in Unemployment Insurance benefits;
  4. Which communities are most burdened by shelter-in-place mandates; and
  5. Which communities are likely to be unrepresented in the 2020 Census due to low response rates.

For more information about each indicator, see the full report here: California Neighborhoods and COVID-19 Vulnerabilities

The indicators for the project were developed by Dr. Paul M. Ong and Chhandara Pech and the web maps by Megan Potter.