Methodology

Priority Areas

The One D Scorecard makes available over 30 baseline indicators through interactive data visualizations and reference tables. The indicators are categorized within the five priority areas of: Economic Prosperity, Educational Preparedness, Quality of Life, Social Equity, and Regional Transit. In order to provide the most robust and balanced information within each priority area for all metro regions, we have refined our indicator list from previous iterations for greater consistency across units of geography and annual availability.

Economic Prosperity

Indicator Data Source Unit of Geography Years Available Index Score
Total Value of Exports U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Department of Commerce MSA 2009-2011
Per Capita GDP for Metropolitan Area (GMP) U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis MSA 2009-2011
Percent Change in High Tech Jobs Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages CBSA 2000-2009, 2001-2010
Percent Change in Knowledge Industry Employment Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages CBSA 2000-2009, 2001-2010
Per Capita Personal Income Regional Economic Information System, Bureau of Economic Analysis; U.S. Department of Commerce CSA/CBSA 2009-2011
Number of Technology Patents per 10K People U.S. Patent & Trademark Office - Electronic Information Products Division, Patent Technology Monitoring Team (PTMT) MSA 2009-2011
Business Tax Climate Index Tax Foundation State 2009-2011

Educational Preparedness

Indicator Data Source Unit of Geography Years Available Index Score
Young & Talented Population, Education Attainment Bachelors+, 25-34 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Education Attainment Bachelors+, 25+ U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Percent Population Enrolled in School, 3+ U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Education Attainment High School+, 18+ U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Percent Teens Not Enrolled in School, No HS Diploma, Unemployed U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
State Appropriations Per Pupil NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis State 2009-2011
State Expenditures Per Pupil U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD) State 2009-2011

Quality of Life

Indicator Data Source Unit of Geography Years Available Index Score
Air Quality Index, Percent of “Good” Days Environmental Protection Agency - AirData Air Quality Index Report CSA/CBSA 2009-2011
Percent Change in Population U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division CSA/CBSA 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011
Percent Population Without Health Insurance U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Total Violent Crimes per 100,000 Residents FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Data MSA 2009-2011
Average Volunteer Rate The Corporation for National and Community Service MSA 2009-2011
Percent of Population neither Overweight nor Obese Center for Disease Control - Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System MSA 2009-2011

Social Equity

Indicator Data Source Unit of Geography Years Available Index Score
Percent Population Foreign Born U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Gini Index U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Income Level by Quintile (Lowest, Second Lowest, and Middle Quintiles) U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Income Level by Quintile (Highest and Second Highest Quintiles) U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Median Household Income (by Race) U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Percent Housing Owner Occupied (by Race) U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Poverty Rate of Children under 18 (by Race) U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011

Regional Transit

Indicator Data Source Unit of Geography Years Available Index Score
Annual Hours of Delay per Auto Commuter Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Research and Innovative Technology Administration Urban Areas 2009-2011
Percent of Workers with No Vehicle U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Percent of Workers 16+ Driving Alone to Work U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 3-year Estimates CSA/CBSA 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011
Annual Number of Transit Rides Occurring on a Bus, in Thousands U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database Urban Areas 2009-2011
Public Transportation Funding, State Dollars per 1,000 Residents Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Research and Innovative Technology Administration State 2009-2010

One D Index

The One D Index, developed by Data Driven Detroit (D3) and NiJeL, offers a comprehensive and easily comparable score for each metro region. Using a single score, the One D Index captures a summary overview of each data indicator, and its respective priority area, included in the 2014 One D Scorecard.

We calculate the One D Index score by transforming the original values of individual indicators over a 0-5 range, with 0 as the lowest score and 5 as the highest. We then calculate the priority area indices by averaging the scores for the respective indicators. Similarly, we calculate the One D Index by averaging the priority area index scores for a given region and year. We equally weight each priority area in the One D Index score, independent of the number of indicators within that priority area.

The data available for download are the original values for each indicator as well as the One D Index and index score by priority area for each region.

Priority Area Indices

Normalized Indicators

We normalize each indicator by first selecting the minimum and maximum value of that indicator from across all regions for each year. We then assign a score of 0 to the region with the minimum value, 5 to the region with the maximum value, and calculate the scores of all other regions in-between on a linear scale between 0 and 5. Last, we sum the normalized indicator values and divide by the total number of indicators in the priority area to calculate each priority area index for each year.

Negatively-scored Indicators

In calculating each priority area index, some individual indicators were negatively scored where higher values indicate a more distressing situation, such as childhood poverty rates. We assigned these indicators a score of 5 to the region with the minimum score, 0 to the region with the maximum score, and the scores of all other regions are assigned on a linear scale between 5 and 0. You can see whether an indicator is positively or negatively scored in the Priority Areas data table.

Weighted Indicators

When comprising any priority area index, we equally weight each indicator in most cases. Three exceptions occur in the Social Equity priority area when an indicator is broken out into three categories of race and ethnicity: African American; White, non-Hispanic; and Hispanic/Latino. In these cases, we set each of the three race categories to be one third of the weight of the overall indicator.

Calculated Indices

We calculate a priority area index for a given year when 50 percent or more of the indicators that comprise the overall index are available, in the given year, across all regions. For example, the Economic Prosperity index is comprised of eight economic indicators; we will calculate an Economic Prosperity index for the year 2010 if four or more of the economic indicators are available in 2010 across all regions.

Geography

The One D Scorecard tracks and compares baseline data indicators over the 54 U.S. regions most populous in 2000 whenever possible. Data provided for the 54 metro regions are collected and reported for various regional units of geography; most commonly combined statistical areas (CSAs)*, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)**, and urbanized areas (UA).

In rare cases, key data indicators that we identified as vital to include were not available at the regional geography and we defaulted to applicable state level data. The unit of geography is specified for all indicators on an individual basis and displayed in tabular format in our Priority Areas.

* Combined statistical areas are comprised of one or more contiguous "core based statistical areas" (see below). For context, the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint CSA includes nine counties: Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne.

** Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are geographic entities comprised of one or more counties. These entities are considered to have a high degree of social and economic integration, and are "defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for use by Federal statistical agencies in collecting, tabulating, and publishing Federal statistics" (U.S. Census Bureau). Collectively, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are referred to as "core based statistical areas".

One Detroit Portal

The One Detroit Portal is home to the Kirwan Institute's Southeast Michigan Regional Opportunity Index mapping initiative. While we make available a list of the indicators by category included in the Opportunity Index, the full extent of the Kirwan Institute's research and methodology can be accessed at their site. All data provided by the Kirwan Institute is reported at census tract level of geography.

Education

Indicator Data Source Year Sign Description
Childhood Poverty ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 Poverty rate for people 18 and younger
High School Dropout Rate ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 Dropout rate; high school students
Persons 16-19 No HS Diploma, Unemployed ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 # of people 16-19 who are unemployed, out of high school, with no diploma
High School Completion ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 Graduation rate for high school students
Reading School District 2011 Student proficiency rates of three nearest in-district primary schools
Math School District 2011 Student proficiency rates of three nearest in-district primary schools
Student Poverty School District 2011 % of students receiving free or reduced price lunch

Economy and Employment

Indicator Data Source Year Sign Description
Public Assistance Rate ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 % of households receiving a form of public assistance
Median Household Income ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 Median household income
Unemployment Rate ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 Rate of unemployed persons in the labor force
Job Change Business County Pattern 2006, 2010 Change in jobs within a five mile radius

Neighborhood

Indicator Data Source Year Sign Description
Vacant Property ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 # of vacant houses in census tract
Property Values ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 Average value of homes per census tract
Homeownership Rates ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 Rate of people who own their home in comparison to the population as a whole
Poverty Rates ACS 2007-2011 2007-2011 % of population living below the Federal poverty line
Percentage Population Change Census 2000-2010 2000, 2010 The % change in population from 2000-2010

Data Download

Partners of the One D Scorecard and One Detroit Portal intentionally do not offer any subjective conclusions based on these data. Rather, by making these data accessible, we aim to show how metro Detroit compares to other regions nationwide in the One D Scorecard and track change over time within our own region at a finer level of geography through the One Detroit Portal. These data are provided with the intention to better understand the social health and economic competitiveness of metro Detroit, inform civic decision-making, and measure progress on regional goals moving into the future.

For further exploration and deeper analysis, we encourage One D Scorecard and One Detroit Portal users to download the datasets, by simply clicking the Download icon at the bottom left of any visualization. The full datasets download as a spreadsheet, specifically a .csv file.