The City Health Dashboard is designed to help cities measure and compare health status and health risks in their communities. Twenty-six measures related to health are represented across five domains: Morbidity and Mortality, Health Behaviors, Clinical Care, Social and Economic Factors, and Physical Environment. These domains align with those used in the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, a well-known program that provides health data at the county level. Information on each of the metrics used in the City Health Dashboard is listed below, including description, data source, years of data, and how the measure is calculated.
Children in poverty
Description
Percent of children age < 18 who are living below the federal poverty threshold.
Source
American Community Survey (Census)
Years of Collection
2010-2014 (5-year estimate)
How the Measure is Calculated
Children age < 18 living in households below the poverty threshold/ Total number of households with children age < 18
0
100
National Average
21.9%
High school graduation
Description
Percent of a ninth-grade cohort that graduates high school within four years.
Source
State-based education data. * Because data are not collected and reported centrally, the values may not be comparable across cities.
Years of Collection
2014-2015
How the Measure is Calculated
Students who graduate high school four years after entering ninth grade / Total ninth grade cohort
20
100
National Average
82.0%
Excessive housing cost burden
Description
Percent of renter households for which housing costs total 30% or more of household income.
Source
American Community Survey (Census)
Years of Collection
2010-2014 (5-year estimate)
How the Measure is Calculated
Count of households for which housing costs ≥ 30% of household income / Total households
0
100
National Average
52.3%
Unemployment
Description
Percent of the civilian population age ≥ 16 that is unemployed but actively seeking work.
Source
American Community Survey (Census)
Years of Collection
2010-2014 (5-year estimate)
How the Measure is Calculated
Civilian population age ≥ 16 seeking work / Total workforce population
0
50
National Average
9.2%
Violent crime
Description
Number of reported violent crime offenses per population. Violent crimes include homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
Source
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR)
Years of Collection
2015
How the Measure is Calculated
(Count of homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault / Total population) x 100,000
0
1500
National Average
372.6
Third-grade reading proficiency
Description
Percent of children at the end of third grade who score "proficient" or above in reading on standardized tests.
Source
State-based education data. *Because data are not collected and reported centrally, the values may not be comparable across cities.
Years of Collection
2014-2015 or 2015-2016
How the Measure is Calculated
Number of children at the end of third grade who score "proficient" or above in reading on standardized tests / Total third-graders who were tested
0
100
National Average
34.0%
Income inequality
Description
Income inequality is measured by the index of concentration at the extremes (ICE), which represents the degree to which an area's residents are concentrated at the extremes of deprivation and privilege: a value of -1 means that 100% of the population is concentrated in the most deprived group (at or below the 20th percentile of income distribution), and a value of 1 means that 100% of the population is concentrated in the most privileged group (at or above the 80th percentile of income distribution).
Source
American Community Survey (Census)
Years of Collection
2010-2014 (5-year estimates)
How the Measure is Calculated
(Count of households at or above the 80th percentile of income distribution - Count of households at or below the 20th of income distribution) / Total households for which income is reported
-1
1
National Average
0.0
Jail incarceration
Description
Number of jail inmates per population.
Source
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013-2014 Annual Summary on Inmates Under Jail Jurisdiction
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
(Count of jail inmates / Total population) x 100,000
0
1000
National Average
326.0
Housing with pest infestation
Description
Percent of households reporting pest infestation, including but not limited to rats, mice, and cockroaches.
Source
National Center for Healthy Housing/American Housing Survey
Years of Collection
2012
How the Measure is Calculated
Households reporting pest infestation / Total households
0
100
National Average
20.9%
Food environment index
Description
Index of two factors that contribute to a healthy food environment: (1) Percent of low-income households that do not live close to a grocery store and (2) Percent of population who did not have access to a reliable source of food in the last year.
Source
USDA Food Environment Atlas
Years of Collection
2013-2015
How the Measure is Calculated
Z-scores for the measures of food accessibility and affordability are averaged and re-scaled from 0 to 10. A value of 0 represents the least healthy food environment and a value of 10 representing the healthiest food environment.
0
10
National Average
6.8
Walkability
Description
Walkability is represented by an area's Walkscore. Walkscores are calculated based on the ease of walking to such destinations as grocery stores, parks, restaurants, and other retail.
Source
Walkscore.com
Years of Collection
2016
How the Measure is Calculated
Walkability is represented on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).
0
100
National benchmark not currently available.
Air quality
Description
Air quality is represented by the AirMix Health Risk Index. Values were developed using a new approach to communicate the health risks associated with exposure to multiple air pollutants. The AirMix Health Risk Index represents the additive excess risk of respiratory morbidity associated with exposure to NO2, O3, and PM-2.5 as derived from a meta-analysis of epidemiology studies in the U.S. Air pollution concentrations from 2013-2015 were used to calculate the index.
Source
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) AirData / Calculated by New York University Marron Institute of Urban Management
Years of Collection
2013-2015
How the Measure is Calculated
Median of PM 2.5, ozone, and NO2 levels in an area. The scale is from 0 (lowest risk) to 10 (highest risk).
0
5
National benchmark not currently available.
Adult smoking
Description
Percent of adults who report smoking.
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
Respondents who report smoking / Total respondents
10
40
National Average
17.4%
Teen births
Description
Births to mothers age 15-19 per female population age 15-19.
Source
Birth Data, National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics
Years of Collection
2011-2013
How the Measure is Calculated
(Births to mothers age 15-19 / Total female population age 15-19) x 1,000
0
100
National Average
24.2
Binge drinking
Description
Percent of adults who report drinking > 3 drinks (women) or > 4 drinks (men) on an occasion.
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
Respondents reporting binge drinking / Total respondents
10
30
National Average
16.0%
Physical inactivity
Description
Percent of adults who report getting no leisure time physical activity.
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
Respondents with no leisure time physical activity / Total respondents
10
50
National Average
23.7%
Opioid-related deaths
Description
Deaths due to opioid overdose. Opioids include prescription drugs used for pain management, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, codeine, and related drugs and illicit street drugs, namely heroin.
Source
Multiple Cause Mortality Data, National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics
Years of Collection
2011-2013
How the Measure is Calculated
(Opioid overdose deaths / Total population) x 100,000
0
60
National Average
13.4
Poor physical health
Description
Percent of adults age 18+ who reported their physical health was not good for >=14 days in the past 30 days.
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
See description.
10
30
National Average
12.0%
Low birthweight
Description
Percent of live births for which birthweight is < 2500 grams.
Source
Birth Data, National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics
Years of Collection
2011-2013
How the Measure is Calculated
Live births with birthweight < 2500 grams / Total live births
3
16
National Average
8.0%
Adult obesity
Description
Percent of adults with a BMI ≥ 30.
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
Respondents with BMI ≥ 30 / Total respondents
10
60
National Average
28.9%
Poor mental health
Description
Percent of adults age 18+ who reported their mental health was not good for >=14 days in the past 30 days.
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
See description.
0
30
National Average
11.5%
Premature mortality
Description
Years of potential life lost before age 75 per population. Years of life lost is calculated as the difference between age of death and 75 (e.g., a death at age 65 contributes 10 years of life lost), summed for all deaths in a community.
Source
Multiple Cause Mortality Data, National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics
Years of Collection
2011-2013
How the Measure is Calculated
(Sum of years of life lost / Total population) x 100,000
3000
15000
National Average
8000.0
Preventive services
Description
Percent of respondents ≥ 65 years of age who received a core set of preventive clinical services: Colorectal screening and pneumococcal vaccine ever, flu shot in the past year, and mammogram in past 2 years (women only).
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
Respondents age 65+ with preventive services / Total respondents age 65+
10
50
National Average
31.5%
Dental care
Description
Percent of adults who report having a routine dental exam or dental treatment in the past year.
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
Respondents with a dental visit in past year / Total respondents
30
90
National Average
64.4%
Primary care physicians
Description
Number of primary care physicians in an area per population.
Source
American Medical Association Masterfile
Years of Collection
2015
How the Measure is Calculated
(Count of primary care providers / Total population) x 100,000
0
160
National Average
91.1
Pap smear screening
Description
Percent of women age 21-64 who report having received a Papanicolau smear in the past year.
Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 500 Cities Estimates
Years of Collection
2013-2014
How the Measure is Calculated
Women age 21-64 who received a Pap smear / Total female respondents age 21-64
50
100
National Average
81.8%
