Local and National Trends in Homelessness
From 2016 to 2017, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased for the first time in seven years. We look at local as well as state and national data to look at this reversing trend.
Social Needs Index
The Social Needs Index is a new data layer added to PolicyMap that combines several indicators commonly used to illustrate social need into a simple 1 to 10 relative ranking.
Exploring Student Loan Debt
In 2015, 68 percent of students graduating from four-year colleges had student loan debt, with an average debt of $30,100. Studies suggest 40% of borrowers may default on federal loans in 20 years. Knowing the geographic variation of this debt can help researchers and policymakers understand the extent of the issue.
The Geography of Farmland
Farms can’t go just anywhere; they require fertile soil and just the right conditions. Arable land is limited, especially near cities, where farms often need to compete with other development pressures. Looking at maps of prime farmland and home values illustrates where these conflicts may arise.
Don’t Do the Crime If You Can’t Spend Some Time
County and city level crime data from the FBI is an oddly complicated dataset to process. From ASCII art to a lack of identifiers, there are a number of obstacles that need to be overcome to display the data on a map.
Joining Data to a List of Addresses
If you have a list of addresses, it can be incredibly useful to find underlying geographic data for these addresses. This data might be neighborhood demographic or income conditions, or government eligibility indicators, like NMTC or CRA eligibility. This can be done easily in PolicyMap.
What’s New in Mortgage Lending: An Analysis of 2016 HMDA Data
Data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) provides a deep insight into trends in lending from demographics to loan types to government insurance to down payments. Here are a few insights from looking at the latest data, from 2016.
Announcing the PolicyMap Community Health Report
Place matters when it comes to health. Where someone is born and where they live can be the most significant factors in determining their overall level of well-being. To help users understand the health landscapes of their communities, PolicyMap has created a new Community Health report.
Mapchats Webinar: Guiding Principles for Opportunity Zones
Opportunity Zones are a new tax incentive program that could attract billions in private capital to struggling areas. We talked to Jeremy Nowak, a prominent figure in urban policy and impact investment, about what impact the program is likely to have and what strategies might be used to maximize its effect.