MTC Plan Bay Area 2050 Equity Priority Communities
Identify census tracts within the Bay Area that are considered a Equity Priority Communities (EPCs) (formerly referred to as Communities of Concern (CoC)) as defined by MTC Resolution No. 4217-Equity Framework for Plan Bay Area 2040 The Joint MTC Planning Committee with the ABAG Administrative Committee approved renaming “Communities of Concern (CoCs)” as “Equity Priority Communities (EPCs)” for use across our work products and programs on May 14, 2021 (refer to materials here).
Project Management
Table of Contents
Data Sources
- U.S. Census - American Community Survey API 2014-2018
- U.S. Census - TIGERweb REST API Generalized_ACS2018/Tracts_Blocks 2018
Analysis Parameters
The 2020 update of MTC’s Equity Priority Communities follows the Equity Priority Communities Framework for Plan Bay Area 2050, and is based on on 2014-2018 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year tract level data. The MTC EPC Framework is provided below as well as a summary table which provides the 8 EPC demographic factors, definitions of demographic factors, census-tract concentration thresholds, relevant ACS table variables, and ACS variable definitions.
Equity Priority Communities Framework Plan Bay Area 2050
| Demographic Factor | Mean of Tract-Level Shares |
Standard Deviation (SD) |
.5 SD PBA2050 Threshold (High EPC) |
1 SD (Higher EPC) |
1.5 SD (Highest EPC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People of Color | 58% | 24% | 70% | 82% | 94% |
| Low-Income (<200% Federal Poverty Level-FPL) | 21% | 14% | 28% | 35% | 42% |
| Limited English Proficiency | 8% | 8% | 12% | 16% | 20% |
| Zero-Vehicle Household | 9% | 12% | 15% | 21% | 27% |
| Seniors 75 Years and Over | 6% | 5% | 8% | 11% | 14% |
| People with Disability | 10% | 5% | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| Single Parent Families | 13% | 9% | 18% | 22% | 26% |
| Rent-Burdened | 10% | 8% | 14% | 18% | 22% |
Definition: Census Tracts that have a cocentration of BOTH people of color AND low-income households, OR that have a concentration of 3 or more of the remaining 6 factors (#3 to #8) but only IF they also have a concentration of low-income households.
Summary of MTC EPC Demographic Factors & Demographic Factor Definitions
ACS Table Variables and MTC EPC Demographic Factors Lookup
| Demographic Factor | Demographic Factor Definition | Concentration Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| People of Color | People of Color populations include persons who identify as any of the following groups as defined by the Census Bureau in accordance with guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget: American Indian or Alaska Native Alone (non-Hispanic/non-Latino); Asian Alone (non-Hispanic/non-Latino); Pacific Islander Alone (non-Hispanic/non-Latino); Black or African-American Alone (non-Hispanic/non-Latino); and Other (Some Other Race, Two or More Races, non-Hispanic/non-Latino); and all Hispanic/Latino persons. | 70% |
| Low Income (< 200% Federal Poverty Level -FPL) | Person living in a household with incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level established by the Census Bureau. | 28% |
| Limited English Proficienty | Person above the age of 5 years, who do not speak English at least “well” as their primary language or had a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English at least “well”, as defined by the U.S. Census. | 12% |
| Zero-Vehicle Household | Households that do not own a personal vehicle. | 15% |
| Seniors 75 Years and Over | Self-explanatory. | 8% |
| People with Disability | The U.S. Census Bureau defines disability as: Hearing difficulty- deaf or having serious difficulty hearing (DEAR); Vision difficulty- blind or having serious difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions (DREM); Ambulatory difficulty- having serious difficulty walking or climbing stars (DPHY; Self-care difficulty- having difficulty bathing or dressing (DDRS); Independent living difficulty- because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem, having difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping (DOUT). | 12% |
| Single-Parent Family | Families with at least one child. To determine whether or not single-parent families exceed tract concentration thresholds, the share of single parent families is calculated as a share of all families regardless of whether or not they have any children. | 18% |
| Severely Rent-Burdened Household | Renters paying > 50% of income in rent. To determine whether or not severely rent-burdened households exceed tract concentration thresholds, the share of severely rent-burdened households is calculated as a share of all households regardless of occupancy status (renter or owner). | 14% |
Methodology
Processing Tools and Code
The analysis was performed in python and leverages the American Community Survey (ACS) API which is documented here: ACS API and the Census TIGER/Web API for spatial data which is documented here: TIGER/Web REST API
To explore the technical processing methods, please review the EPC Processing Python Notebook
Calculate MTC EPC Demographic Factor Population from ACS Variable Populations
The table below provides the calculations that were performed to get demographic factor populations and demographic shares. To translate from variable to written description, please review the ACS Table Variables and MTC EPC Demographic Factors Lookup. ACS Variables are also defined on the American Community Survey (ACS) website. To get variable definitions as well as the layout of tables without the estimates or margins of error filled in, download 2018 ACS Detailed Table Shells as an Excel spreadsheet.
The link below provides the EPC schema and domains, along with calculations and written descriptions of the calculations which may be helpful for analysis purposes. Below the link is a table for informational purposes.
EPC Schema With Field Descriptions, Population & Share Calculations
| Demographic Factor | Demographic Factor Population Based on ACS Variable Population | Demographic Factor Population as a Share of Universe (Population, Households, Families) |
|---|---|---|
| People of Color | B03002_001E - B03002_003E | (B03002_001E -B03002_003E)/B03002_001E |
| Low Income (< 200% Federal Poverty Level -FPL) | C17002_001E - C17002_008E | C17002_001E -C17002_008E/C17002_001E |
| Limited English Proficienty | B16005_007E + B16005_008E + B16005_012E + B16005_013E + B16005_017E + B16005_018E + B16005_022E + B16005_023E + B16005_029E + B16005_030E + B16005_034E + B16005_035E + B16005_039E + B16005_040E + B16005_044E + B16005_045E | (B16005_007E + B16005_008E + B16005_012E + B16005_013E + B16005_017E + B16005_018E + B16005_022E + B16005_023E + B16005_029E + B16005_030E + B16005_034E + B16005_035E + B16005_039E + B16005_040E + B16005_044E +B16005_045E)/B16005_001E |
| Zero-Vehicle Household | B08201_002E | B08201_002E/B08201_001E |
| Seniors 75 Years and Over | B01001_023E + B01001_024E + B01001_025E + B01001_047E + B01001_048E + B01001_049E | (B01001_023E + B01001_024E + B01001_025E + B01001_047E + B01001_048E + B01001_049E)/B01001_001E |
| People with Disability | C18108_001E - (C18108_005E + C18108_009E + C18108_013E) | (C18108_001E -(C18108_005E + C18108_009E + C18108_013E))/C18108_001E |
| Single-Parent Family | B11004_010E + B11004_016E | (B11004_010E + B11004_016E)/B11004_001E |
| Severely Rent-Burdened Household | B25070_010E | B25070_010E/B08201_001E |
Expected Outcomes
- Feature class that contains Census Tracts meeting MTC Equity Priority Communities criteria
- Feature class name:
- Feature Class Schema
- Web layer that contains Census Tracts meeting MTC Equity Priority Communities criteria
- Print map of MTC Equity Priority Communities
Results
- PBA 2050 Equity Priority Communities - ACS 2018
- PBA 2050 Equity Priority Communities - ACS 2018 Web Layer
- PBA 2050 Equity Priority Communities Print Map
- PBA 2040 and PBA 2050 Equity Priority Communities Change Map
- PBA 2040 and PBA 2050 Equity Priority Communities Change Interactive Web Map
- Equity Priority Communities, EPA Disadvantaged Communities, and BAAQMD CARE Communities Print Map