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COVID-19 Community Explorer (8 profiles based on 26 factors)


The COVID-19 Community Explorer provides a simple way to explore geographic clusters of county-communities affected by the pandemic and their socioeconomic, demographic, and health-related features.

Using machine learning techniques, the counties are clustered into 8 community profiles:
1 - the most ethnically diverse community with the highest income level. It is a highly educated cohort that resides in large metro areas. (38% US population)
2 - highly educated, economically prosperous, mostly White counties in metro areas. (25% US population)
3 - the largest Black population, whose income is the lowest income of all the profiles. These counties are primarily concentrated in the south-east. (12% US population)
4 - the largest white population with the lowest income of all the profiles. It encompasses mostly rural counties in the East North Central, and Northeast regions. (7% US population))
5 - predominantly White counties whose economy depends mostly on manufacturing and are located around the Midwest region. (6% US population)
6 - the youngest cohort of the profiles, with the largest Hispanic population, the least education level, access to healthy food, and health insurance. The counties are concentrated in the West and West South-Central regions. (5% US population)
7 - the oldest cohort of the profiles and consists of mostly White, elderly retirement communities. (4% US population)
8 - the most rural cohort made of an older White population with the most limited access to healthy food of all the profiles. The counties are mostly in the north part of the West, Midwest, and Northeast regions. (3% US population)


By using the drop-downs, the user can:
-> select the COVID-19 information
-> focus on a specific population based on its behavioral, demographic, economic, and social profiles
-> select an underlying health condition and adjust the slider to filter counties by their prevalence of that condition.

====>Instructions on how to use the interactive map

Summary of the Best and Worst Counties

-> January 2022, December 2021, November 2021, October 2021, September 2021,August 2021

US Counties Communities

Because minimum and maximum prevalence rates vary by condition, changing the health condition might cause it to appear as though some or even all counties have disappeared. This is usually because the maximum or minimum value of the prior health condition observed is much higher or lower than those of the currently observed condition. Adjusting the slider should cause all counties to reappear (if the maximum of the new health condition is lower than the minimum of the prior health condition, slide the minimum up and then back down). “Null” is the categorization for Kansas City and Joplin, MO, whose COVID-19 information is reported at the city level.


Links to the data sources

List of Health Conditions
The following health conditions are displayed for each county as prevalence rates, and the rates for the United States as a whole are displayed in brackets. Further information on these measures can be found here
Asthma - current asthma among adults
Cancer - cancer (excluding skin cancer) among adults
COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults
Diabetes - diagnosed diabetes among adults
Heart Disease - coronary heart disease among adults
High BP - high blood pressure among adults
Kidney - chronic kidney disease among adults
Obesity - adults with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2
Smoking - current smoking among adults
Stroke - adults ever diagnosed with a stroke

Related Research

- The Community Explorer (17 profiles based on 751 factors)
- The Community Explorer (8 profiles based on 26 factors)
- The Community Explorer: Informing Policy with County-Level Data
- COVID-19 Community Explorer (17 Profiles)
- Weighing Down America: 2020 Update

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