The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)

ATSDR’s Geospatial Research, Analysis & Services Program
(GRASP) has created a tool to help emergency response
planners and public health officials identify and map the
communities that will most likely need support before, during,
and after a hazardous event.
The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) uses U.S. Census data to determine the social vulnerability of every Census tract. Census tracts are
subdivisions of counties for which the Census collects statistical data.The SVI ranks each tract on 14 social factors, including poverty,
lack of vehicle access, and crowded housing, and groups them into four related themes. Maps of the four themes are shown in the
figure below. Each tract receives a separate ranking for each of the four themes, as well as an overall ranking.<br><br>***Microdata: Yes Level of Analysis: Local - County, Census Tract Variables Present: Yes File Layout: .csv; geospatial Codebook: Yes - pdf. Methods: Yes Weights (with appropriate documentation): No Publications: No Aggregate Data: No