The Port of Seattle’s Equity Index is a tool that displays a visual representation and ranking of environmental pollutants and social inequities for each census block group in King County. Use the Frequently Asked Questions below to learn more about the Equity Index and how we’re using it to direct resources to those with the greatest need.
The map displays and ranks individual and combined environmental health and social indicators. The map shows how a census block group in King County ranks for each indicator for each of the four indicator categories, and for all indicators combined.
The Port recognizes pollution, access to economic opportunity, and a healthy standard of living varies across the region. The index was created as a tool for the Port to visualize those variations that exist across the region, and thus direct resources towards the areas of greatest need. The intended use of the Environmental Equity Map is to equitably guide funding decisions for the South King County Fund (SKCF) and broadly inform policy decisions across the Port.
The individual and combined environmental health and social indicators are ranked from very low to very high (very low, low, moderate, high, very high). Communities with the least access to opportunities and resources are ranked very low (lighter colors), while communities with the most access to opportunities and resources are ranked very high (darker colors). For example, communities with high unemployment and limited access to parks and transit are considered very low on the scale.
Each ranking is relative to each other. The comparison is data within King County. If an area has a high ranking, it is high in comparison to the rest of King County. When looking at King County as a whole, those are the average rankings across the whole county.
The four categories are economy, livability, accessibility, and environment.
The four categories were selected in alignment with the Port’s Century Agenda Goals. Economy aligns with Century Agenda Goal #3 – “responsibly invest in the economic growth of the region and all its communities”. Livability aligns with Century Agenda Goal #6 – “be a highly effective public agency” and Objective #18 – “partner and engage with external stakeholders to build healthy, safe, and equitable communities”. Accessibility aligns with Century Agenda Goal #5 – “become a model for equity, diversity, and inclusion”. And finally, environment aligns with Century Agenda Goal #4 – “be the greenest and most energy efficient port in North America”. The economy category aligns with Century Agenda Goal #3 – “responsibly invest in the economic growth of the region and all its communities”. Livability aligns with Century Agenda Goal #6 – “be a highly effective public agency” and Objective #18 – “partner and engage with external stakeholders to build healthy, safe, and equitable communities”. Accessibility aligns with Century Agenda Goal #5 – “become a model for equity, diversity, and inclusion”. And finally, environment aligns with Century Agenda Goal #4 – “be the greenest and most energy efficient port in North America”.
The Equity Index consists of 21 indicators within the four categories to examine variations in pollution, access to economic opportunity, and a healthy standard of living across the region. See below to learn more:
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| Environment |
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For more information about each indicator, check out the Equity Index Data Definitions.
An internal workgroup of Port staff across all divisions selected indicators based on an assessment of data availability and the needs of the Port. In our assessment of data availability, we were introduced to strong existing topically and spatially relevant equity tools developed by state and regional governments. Indicators included but not sourced from existing tools were chosen based on the workgroup’s understanding of the Port’s need.
The methodology used to score census block groups is directly leveraged from the Washington State Environmental Healthy Disparities Map and Kirwan Institute, Ohio State University. Each indicator is ranked very low to very high corresponding to percentiles. Indicators were then averaged to result in a score for each of four categories (economy, livability, accessibility, and environment).
Yes. As more data becomes available, indicators may be added to the map. The indicators will be evaluated regularly to ensure they are providing a relevant look at disparities in the region.
For detailed instructions on how to use the index, refer to the Equity Index Users Guide.
Community members and community organizations can use the Equity Index to learn more about their community. The Index provides a data-driven look at disparities in the community and can be used by community members as a tool to describe the disparities that exist to decisionmakers.
