Demographics
5 articles
Renters vs. Owners: Housing Tenure and Grocery Access
Renter-dominated tracts have better grocery access: shorter distances (0.58 vs. 0.94 mi), lower food desert rates (8.4% vs. 18.2%). But this reflects urban geography, not housing policy—and renters have higher vulnerability despite better access.
Who Gets Left Behind: Transit Access and Race in California
Majority-minority tracts have shorter distances to grocery stores (0.72 vs. 0.85 miles) but higher mobility desert rates (13.2% vs. 11.1%). Stores are closer, but transit access to reach them is worse. This disparity persists after controlling for income and density.
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.
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 county tracts? r = -0.063, essentially zero. Since employment doesn't predict poverty in Silicon Valley, we should think about what Census wage and income data can show us.
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.