Midwest Census Evaluation
(R-Lang, Github, Agile)
In this project, I analyzed the West North Central Division, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, I examined several indicators of vulnerability, including:
. Poverty, unemployment, housing cost burden, education, and health insurance coverage
. Age distribution, disability status, single parent households, and English proficiency
. Racial and ethnic minority populations and language barriers
. Housing types, crowding, and access to transportation
I also incorporated measures of economic inequality such as median income, home values, and the House Price Index with additional data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
To connect these patterns with federal policy, I evaluated the role of the New Markets Tax Credit and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which target high need census tracts through private investment and affordable housing development. The analysis explored whether these programs contributed to reductions in social vulnerability and improvements in economic outcomes between 2010 and 2020.
This work was developed as part of a collaborative class project, where I contributed my analysis while coordinating with teammates through GitHub for version control and integration.
