Coronavirus Neighborhood-Level Risk Factors
This map displays several neighborhood-level measures of populations with greater risk associated with COVID-19. To develop the indices, we used demographic and health characteristics thought to increase a person's risk for severe symptoms or death, as identified by national and world health organizations.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that "some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness, [including] older adults [and] people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, [and] lung disease." The National Cancer Institute says that people with certain types of cancer or treatments can have weaker immune systems, making them more susceptible to COVID-19. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says those who smoke may also be more susceptible to the disease. The World Health Organization suggests that people with asthma may be more vulnerable to a serious respiratory infection from Coronavirus.
Risk Indices
Using demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau and estimates of neighborhood health data from the CDC's 500 Cities Project, we can estimate areas with high-risk populations.
Because it's hard to understand eight different maps, each with a different risk factor, we used statistics (specifically principle component analysis) to simplify and synthesize the information. We found that there are two distinct groups of indicators that relate to risk populations. These roughly split our eight indicators into two groups of four, with one group related to socioeconomic status and one group related to age.
The socioeconomic risk group contains behaviors and outcomes that tend to relate to income and economic opportunity. These are the uninsured population, asthma, smoking rates, and diabetes.
The age risk group contains demographics (age itself) and health outcomes that are linked to older age populations. This includes cancer and heart disease.
What We Found
Neighborhoods just outside of downtown Indianapolis have the highest estimated risk when it comes to factors that are related to income. The neighborhood just north of 30th Street and east of Fall Creek (tract 3508.00) has one of the highest socioeconomic risk index scores. In this neighborhood, an estimate one-fifth of the population lacks health insurance, one-sixth of adults have asthma, one-third smoke, and a quarter have diabetes. The area near New York Street and Sherman Drive also rates as very high risk on this index due to a high concentration of people who lack health insurance, have asthma, and smoke.
Age-related risk is more geographically diverse. Areas in northern Marion County have high estimated rates of cancer and have older populations. The Martindale-Brightwood and Meadows neighborhoods (northeast of downtown) have high estimated rates of heart disease and some pockets of older populations. The Far Eastside and the far southside (near U.S. 31 and County Line Road) also have high risk populations according to the age-related risk factors.
How to Use this Map
To use this map, click on a neighborhood area (census tract) and explore its risk factors in the legend to the left. Expand each index to see the individual variables that have the strongest impact on that measure. To change the data displayed on the map, click “map this” located next to the index name or variable name in the legend. If you zoom in, additional neighborhood names will appear on the map.