Social Data Commons: Segregation (HOI) (v1.0.0)

⚠ Superseded — this version contains a standardization error. Pre-2020 intensive measures were area-averaged across 2010→2020 census-tract boundary splits rather than replicated, distorting their values. Please use the latest version of this record, which corrects the geographic standardization. Overview Residential segregation indicator computed as the Entropy Index (Theil's H) from ACS table DP05 race/ethnicity data, measuring how sub-area racial/ethnic composition differs from the overall state composition. The index uses eight race/ethnicity categories: Hispanic/Latino, White, Black, American Indian, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Some Other Race, and Two or More Races. Builds on methodology used in the Virginia Department of Health's Health Opportunity Index (HOI). This dataset is produced by the Social Data Commons at the University of Virginia as part of the Segregation data pipeline. Provenance The segregation indicator uses the Entropy Index (Theil's H), a method for measuring multigroup residential segregation that quantifies how sub-area racial/ethnic composition differs from the overall composition (Theil, 1972; Reardon & Firebaugh, 2002). This pipeline builds on methodology developed by the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (VDH-OMHHE) for the Health Opportunity Index (HOI), which includes a segregation indicator as one of its 13 community health profiles. Coverage Temporal coverage: 2015–2024 (ACS 5-year estimates) Geographic levels: Tract Coverage areas: National Capital Region (DC metro), Virginia (statewide) Methodology Residential segregation indicator computed as the Entropy Index (Theil's H) from ACS 5-year estimates, table DP05 (ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates). The index measures how the racial/ethnic composition of a Census tract compares to that of the state as a whole, using eight categories: Hispanic/Latino, White, Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, Some Other Race, and Two or More Races. Higher values indicate greater deviation from the statewide racial/ethnic composition. County and Health District values are aggregated from tract-level scores. Computed using 2020 Census geographic boundaries. Residential segregation indicator computed as the Entropy Index (Theil's H) from ACS 5-year estimates, table DP05 (ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates). The index measures how the racial/ethnic composition of a Census tract compares to that of the state as a whole, using eight categories: Hispanic/Latino, White, Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, Some Other Race, and Two or More Races. Higher values indicate greater deviation from the statewide racial/ethnic composition. County and Health District values are aggregated from tract-level scores. Computed using 2010 Census geographic boundaries. Source Tables ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05 (ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates) Variables DP05_0001: Total Pop DP05_0071: Hisp Latin DP05_0077: White DP05_0078: Black DP05_0079: American Indian DP05_0080: Asian DP05_0081: Nhopi DP05_0082: Sor DP05_0083: Two Measures (2) Note on naming conventions: Measures containing _geo20 are computed using 2020 Census geographic boundaries, while those containing _geo10 use 2010 Census geographic boundaries. segregation_indicator_geo20: Segregation indicator (2020 geographies) (mean) Entropy Index (Theil's H) measuring how sub-area racial/ethnic composition differs from the overall state composition. segregation_indicator_geo10: Segregation indicator (2010 geographies) (mean) Entropy Index (Theil's H) measuring how sub-area racial/ethnic composition differs from the overall state composition. Data Sources U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2025) File Format Data files are provided as xz-compressed CSV (.csv.xz) with the following columns: geoid, region_type, region_name, year, measure, value, moe (margin of error, where available).