When the resources needed to serve at-risk populations are limited, effective tools for allocation and prioritization can improve both planning efforts and implementation. Many Texas Panhandle residents live in rural communities with limited access to social services. TIP’s Texas Social Vulnerability index combines metrics on income, vehicle access, age, and other demographic factors to highlight the Panhandle census tracts with the highest relative vulnerability. This analysis, funded in part by the Mary E. Bivins Foundation, was designed to help optimize food security initiatives in the region by providing a powerful tool that helps regional leaders focus relief where it’s needed most.
Sources: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year sample; US Census Bureau, 2024 TIGER/Line Shapefiles; Mary E. Bivins Foundation; TIP Strategies, Inc.
Notes: A social vulnerability score is assigned to each indicator within a census tract based on its percentile ranking relative to all Texas census tracts. Indicators below the 50th percentile are classified as Low, those between the 50th and 90th percentiles as Medium, and those above the 90th percentile as High. A tract’s Texas Social Vulnerability Score is determined by the number of indicators classified as High and Medium. High social vulnerability means two or more indicators are High; Medium social vulnerability means that either one indicator is High or a majority of indicators are Medium; Low social vulnerability means that no indicators are High and a majority are Low. If an indicator is unavailable for a given tract, the corresponding county-level value is used as a substitute. Near poverty rate is the percentage of individuals with incomes below 150 percent of the poverty level.