FairData
Summer Food Target  Mapper

Resources

Census Issues
CACFP
ESL
Geobase
Socio-Econ
Projects
Racial Profiling
Summer Food
Voter Registration
PL 94 Data
SF 1 Data
Contact/Uploads
Downloads
 More Resources

Developed in Association with the
Food Research and Action Center


 Summer Food Target Mapper

This interactive map was developed for local groups who need highly detailed (street-level) census information for hunger and poverty-related projects and lack access to desktop mapping software. For example, the map can be used to identify neighborhoods and communities for Summer Food Service Program expansion -- a USDA nutrition program offered to children during the summer months.

The default map shows percentage themes for the population eligible for free and reduced price meals (under age 19 and below the 185% poverty level). Additional maps include census data on English proficiency as well as race, ethnicity and income.    Change maps by clicking the drop-down menu items under "Compare Maps" on the left.  

Click here for  FRAC's guide to using the interactive map for determining Summer Food site eligibility.

See also:

Interactive "Zoomable/Clickable" Thematic Map 

To maximize the viewable area, toggle off the history folder, then select the F11 key.  Map links can be e-mailed or bookmarked for future reference. Use the arrow buttons on your browser to compare previously viewed maps  Click the HELP icon for additional assistance. 

NOT COMPATIBLE WITH FIREFOX 1.5 (click for details)

Summer Food Target Mapper  (national scale map-- zoomable to street-level)

  Google-FairData Base Map  (start with a Google map interface)

* * *

New 7/06

Here are two examples of high need areas displayed with Google Earth. The semi-transparent pink areas are block groups where the under 19 population is between 50 and 100% below 185% poverty. Green labels show the number of kids under 19 below 185% poverty by block group.

Base maps for all states are available via this directory. The 40 to 50% theme  will be uploaded  on request by state. You can  geocode your state's Summer Food sites for free and create a Google Earth KML file  via Batch Geocde. Then you can overlay the sites onto the Google Earth census map, as shown in the Washington DC example.

Note that it is impossible to get a perfect match between the Census Bureau's geographic files and the Google street map, so the maps are not reliable for site qualification along the boundaries of the block groups. (You can  clarify boundaries or get additional demographic details by simply pasting the block group number into the search form via FairData's FIND button)

You will need a relatively new graphics card to view these maps in Google Earth.

     Washington DC Summer Food sites (2004)

     New York State 50%+ block groups ( no SFS sites displayed)

         --    Directory with files for all states

New 6/06:

Added a  Find menu item to the Google base map (also available via the FairData pop-up  FIND form -- refresh search form window if not displayed).This is an alternative way to search for addresses, with clickable links back to the FairData map. See GMap Help for additional details.

 Click here to view the map and form. You can save the results returned by Google with the hyperlinks intact -- just copy and paste to a Microsoft Word document. (Right click, Edit, Open Hyperlink)

There will be instances where the FairData geocoder is correct and the Google geocoder is not and vice-versa. Also note that the Google geocoder places an address found marker on the street centerline rather than the 25 foot offset used by FairData's geocoder. This makes it difficult to determine whether an address is in a particular block group where the street is the dividing line (refer to FairData's Map 19 for street number sequences).

* * *

Click on the FIND button to zoom to a place. Click on the INFO tool and then click on the map for census data for the various geographic layers. Poverty data and the USDA program specific census data is about midway down the table in the lower portion of the pop-up window. Percentage calculations are at the end the table. Or click on ZOOM TO and then click on the map -- relevant  Summer Food Program data for the block group selected will appear in a table below the map. Note: Block Group FIPS code --labels (green) at 5 miles or less in Maps 1 & 19 only (option to turn on)

Maps 1,2,3, 4, 6 and 7 show Summer Food sites for 2001 beginning at a scale of about 50 miles.

Approximately 34,200 sites are geocoded -- about 20% by zip code or town rather than exact street matches. Sites geocoded with street-level  precision can be identified by clicking on the one-half mile buffer DISPLAY option, then select REDRAW (Maps 1 and 2 only) or simply refresh the browser. Only exact geocoded sites show buffers.

If you need precision location, always double-check the address -- Select the INFO button and click on the site (represented by a triangle) on the map. The site address (along with other data) can be accessed from the pop-up window.

School district boundaries (thin green lines -- elementary and unified) and associated census data can be viewed beginning at a scale of about 200 miles using the DISPLAY option. Check the box to the left of "School District" underneath the map image, then click "Redraw". For dataset details, see National Center for Education Statistics.

See also USDA Summer Food Map Machine for 185% poverty block group level thematic maps, as well as database queries providing free and reduced price meal participation by school. Note that INFO queries in FairData's interactive map display the zip code number in a popup window, facilitating follow-up searches on the USDA map.

See notes at end of this page for additional details and data downloads:

Map 1 -- Population Under 19 Below 185% Poverty Level

Note that unlike the other maps, this thematic map subdivides the 40% to 60% range into 40% to 50% and 50% to 60% -- facilitating the identification of potential open site areas where at least 50 percent of school age children are eligible for free or reduced price school meals.

At a scale of about 5 miles, counts for the under 19 population  below the 185% poverty level are displayed in purple boxes.

The block group level 185% poverty dataset can also be viewed via the USDA Summer Food Map Machine. Consistent with the USDA dataset and Map Machine, students under 19 in group housing are included in the 185% counts.

Source: USDA and Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 2 -- 40% vs. 50% Focus Areas

This map shows areas (highlighted in orange) that presumably would qualify for open site eligibility at the block group level if the eligibility threshold were lowered to 40%. The 50% or higher areas that generally qualify under current regulations are highlighted in red. For consistency, the tract-level and county-level maps follow this same tri-color theme.

Source: USDA and Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 3 -- Population Under 18 Below Poverty

At a scale of about 5 miles, block group population counts for children living in poverty are displayed in purple boxes.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 4 --  Female Householder (single-parent) with own children

At a scale of about 5 miles, block group female single parent household counts are displayed in purple boxes.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data

Map 5 -- Population Below Poverty

At a scale of about 5 miles, block group population counts for persons living in poverty are displayed in purple boxes.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 6 --  5-17 Limited English-Speaking Ability (Spanish speakers only)

See ESL page for map details

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 7 --  Civilian Population 16-19, Not Enrolled in School and No Degree (Dropouts)

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 8 --  Civilian Population 16-19, Not Enrolled in School and Unemployed or Not in Labor Force (Youth Unemployment)

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 9 -- Percent Asian (single-race, all ages)

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data

Map 10 -- Percent Black (single-race, all ages)

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data

Map 11 -- Percent Latino (any race, all ages)

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data

Map 12 -- Percent Native American (single- race, all ages)

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data

Map 13 -- Median Household Income (1999)

At a scale of about 5 miles, block group median household income  is displayed in purple boxes

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 14 -- Housing Tenure

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data

Map 15 -- Median Home Value (by census tract)

At a scale of about 5 miles, median value for owner-occupied houses by census tract is displayed in purple boxes.  Bar charts break out the median value by race.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 16 -- Population Under 5 Below Poverty

At a scale of about 5 miles, block group population counts for children under 5 living in poverty are displayed in purple boxes.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 17 --  Households without a vehicle

At a scale of about 5 miles, block group counts of households without a vehicle are displayed in purple boxes.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 18 --  Population 25 and over  without a high school degree

At a scale of about 5 miles, the  block group-level population 25 and over without a high school diploma is played in purple boxes.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) Sample Data

Map 19 -- Identical to Map 1 but with partial display of street numbering scheme


Notes:

8/13/03:  The interactive map has been updated with USDA's June 24, 2003 dataset.  The updated nationwide block group dataset can be downloaded from the link below.

Sites were geocoded based on USDA address database. In some cases, there are discrepancies between the FairData shapefile sites and the sites displayed on the USDA "Map Machine". This is because different geocoding software techniques were used. Both the USDA dataset and the FairData dataset contain geocoding inaccuracies. Sites are excluded from both databases due to missing addresses.

Downloads:

Nationwide block group poverty data   (Maptitude-compatible, comma delimited, field labels are in .dcc file) (zipped file 2 megabytes) -- 2000 census

Nationwide block group Summer Food (under 19) and CACF (under 13) below 185% poverty data   (Maptitude-compatible, comma delimited) (zipped file 1.5 megabytes) -- 2000 census  Note: This dataset is based on a special file prepared by the Census Bureau for the USDA Summer Food and CACF Programs. It includes persons in group housing in the population and poverty count. Therefore, this dataset is not directly comparable to other poverty counts reported in the SF3 dataset.

See also:

2/06: Added a link to Neighborhood Knowledge California   Select the field NKCA_Link from the INFO tool  pop-up window for a block group on the FairData map and you'll see that block group  in a new NKCA map window. Here is an NKCA map of a block group in Punxsutawney, Pa  Create an account (it's free) and  you can  batch geocode your own data points for Summer Food sites anywhere in the US, edit the geocoded point locations where necessary, query for the underlying block group numbers -- and save the map for online access.

Note that areas outside of  California will not display thematic maps on the NKCA site, but California users can upload up to 1,000 block groups at a time from this file for thematic display. Here is an excellent California-specific tutorial.

* * *

 2/06: Added a link to DataPlace for  more detailed "build your own" analysis -- (no block groups, tract-level and higher).  Select the field DataPlace_Link from the INFO tool  pop-up window for a census tract in the FairData map and you'll see that tract in a new DataPlace area overview window, with links to thematic maps, and exceptional charts and tables across a wide range of datasets. (Click on  the links under "Browse by Topic" in the right corner beneath  the DataPlace map to quickly change the theme to another indicator.)

Social Explorer is another excellent source for tract-level and higher maps and tables from the 1990 and 2000 census. (In many instances, the maps are superior to DataPlace maps  because more meaningful thematic breakpoints are used.)

To zoom to the block group level components of a tract you have identified in the DataPlace map: (1) copy the tract number (for example, 51550-0201 displayed via the question mark button on the DataPlace map ) into the block group search field on the popup form accessed with FairData's FIND button  (2) remove the hyphen and click "Find".

* * *

School district socio-economic profile data with percentage calculations --

           http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sdds/main1.asp

Multi-jurisdictional SF3 school district data downloads --

           http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sdds/downloadmain.asp      

Free/reduced price meal data (with total student figures) by school in spreadsheet format: --

           Nash/Rocky, Mount NC Schools  (sample school data link):

           http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3703270

 

 

FairPlan    FairData