The Widening Gap: Why Some Neighborhoods Are Falling Behind
County-wide SNAP rates rose 2 points over four years. But what happens when we look at neighborhoods instead of the whole county? A more complex picture emerges.
Victoria Cholette
The Food Security Gap: How COVID Widened Inequality
County-wide SNAP participation stayed flat during the pandemic. But a census tract analysis of 408 neighborhoods reveals what aggregate data hides: food insecurity worsened in the most vulnerable communities while improving elsewhere, widening the inequality gap by 49%.
Food Security
The Retail Density Paradox: Why More Stores Mean Worse Data
Developing a verification methodology for EBT acceptance across 7,000 California food retailers
Food Security
When Work Isn't Enough: What Census Data Reveals About Silicon Valley's Working Poor
In 57 census tracts across Santa Clara County, more than 60% of working-age adults are employed. These same tracts have poverty rates above 10%. This pattern, high employment alongside meaningful poverty, appears in neighborhoods home to 256,773 people. The correlation between employment rate and poverty rate across all 408
Food Security
Beyond Demographics: How Neighborhood-Level Intersections Predict Food Security Vulnerability
When measuring neighborhood food security vulnerability, single demographic factors don't tell the full story. We built and validated an index that shows how intersecting identities create compounding risk.
Food Security
The Food Desert Myth: Zero Geographic Barriers, Clear Economic Disparities
When a county has excellent geographic access to grocery stores (0.57 miles average), yet SNAP participation varies 3.7× across neighborhoods, what drives food insecurity? Analysis of 408 census tracts reveals the barrier isn't distance: it's affordability.