NOACA - 2024 Environmental Justice Areas (Cuyahoga County)

Environmental Justice areas are identified at the Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ) level. A TAZ is an agglomeration of Census Blocks, but smaller than a Census Tract, allowing for a refined approach with significant accuracy, small enough to capture population within often overlooked geographies, yet large enough to leverage accurate sample data. A TAZ will be identified as a location of EJ concern if it has a minority population percentage at or above the lesser of the regional average or the national average and/or a population in poverty whose percentage of the full TAZ is at or above the lesser of the regional average or the national average. For the criteria mentioned above, a location identifies as an EJ area if either or both of the following thresholds are met: Percent of residents of minority status at or above 31.65% Percent of residents at or below poverty level: 13.63% Data Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year Estimates Current Vintage: 2018-2022 Data Processing Notes: NOACA staff implement their EJ analysis through the following steps so they can identify and map EJ areas in Northeast Ohio: Calculate the percentage of both the United States current population and NOACA’s current population that is “minority.” Calculate the percentage of both the United States current population and NOACA’s current population that is below the poverty level. Compare the values in Step 1; the lesser value is the minority criterion. Compare the values in Step 2. The lesser value is the poverty criterion. For each TAZ, NOACA staff estimate the minority and poverty percentages of that TAZ’s current population. If either the TAZ’s minority percentage or poverty percentage exceeds the minority criterion or the poverty criterion, respectively, then NOACA staff identify that TAZ as an Environmental Justice Area of Concern. For more information visit Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA)