Overview
Stated Objective: Vulnerability
Owner: University of South Carolina - Hazards & Vulnerability Research Institute (HVRI)
URL: http://artsandsciences.sc.edu/geog/hvri/sovi%C2%AE-0
Index Release Date: 2010-2014
Last Update: 2019
Coverage: Continental US, Alaska, & Hawaii
Granularity: County
Does the index incorporate hazard data? No
Description
The Social Vulnerability Index for the United States (SoVI®) provides a comparative social vulnerability score, comprised of 29 socioeconomic variables that contribute to a reduction in a community’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards. SoVI® allows users to visualize (compare) the differences in social vulnerability among counties within their state and across the nation. The social vulnerability index was originally released in 2010 and last updated in 2019.
Analysis
The index combines 29 socioeconomic variables that research indicates affect a community’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards. The data, primarily from the U.S. Census Bureau, are processed by the Hazards Vulnerability and Resilience Institute at the University of South Carolina. The variables are standardized and analyzed using principal components analysis to create a set of optimized components. These components are adjusted so that positive values indicate higher vulnerability, and negative values indicate lower vulnerability. The components are then summed to produce a social vulnerability score for each county.
The SoVI® 2010-14 introduced updates based on advances in vulnerability science, including factors like family structure, language barriers, vehicle availability, medical disabilities, and healthcare access. These changes, first implemented in SoVI® 2006-2010, are continued in SoVI® 2010-14 and SoVI® 2019, incorporating data from the 2010 U.S. Decennial Census and the five-year American Community Survey estimates (2010-14 and 2015-19).
What does this index provide?
SoVI® provides a static view of vulnerability at a particular moment in time; this enables users to:
For what level of government would this index be most useful?
Due to its level of granularity (census tract), this data should be useful at all levels of government:
Index Access
Download as PDF Maps or PDF Scores & Percentiles:
http://artsandsciences.sc.edu/geog/hvri/sovi-data
Accessible in GIS Formats: No
Available on AGOL: No
Context
Why was the index developed?
To measure social vulnerability to environmental hazards in the US.
Who is the data steward's intended audience?
Public Health Officials and Emergency Response Planners
How does the data steward envision that data be used?
What are the known limitations of this index?
Variables
The index synthesizes 29 socioeconomic variables, which the research literature suggests contributes to a reduction in a community’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards. SoVI® data sources include primarily those from the United States Census Bureau. http://artsandsciences.sc.edu/geog/hvri/faq
In SoVI® 2019, seven significant components explain 73% of the variance in the data. These components include wealth; race and social status; age dependency (elderly); Hispanic ethnicity and people without health insurance; special needs populations; Native American populations; and service industry employment. Detailed information on these components can be found here in PDF format: https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/centers_and_institutes/hvri/documents/sovi/sovi2019.pdf
Wealth
Race (Black) & Social Status
Dependence & Age (Elderly)
Ethnicity (Hispanic & Education)
Special Needs Populations
Race (Native American)
Service Sector Employment
Supplemental Information
Contact Information
https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/about/contact-us/index.php
Applications of Use
National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation