A statistical method called a dissimilarity index was used to quantify how segregated the region is among its census tracts, first by race and ethnicity, and then by income. The indices use decennial census tract data for years 1990 and 2000. The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey (ACS) five-year period estimates.
The Racial/Ethnic Segregation Index is an indicator of how segregated the region's census tracts are, relative to the regional distribution of white, non-Latinx population and people of color and Latinx populations. In a given year, values show dissimilarity in the racial and ethnic makeup of tracts across the region, and demonstrates the percentage of the population that would, theoretically, need to relocate in order to match the region's racial and ethnic makeup. The higher the index value, the higher the segregation is among white, non-Latinx and other races/ethnicities.
The Income Segregation Index is an indicator of how segregated the region's census tracts are by income, relative to the regional distribution of low-income households. Low-income is defined as households below 200% of the federal poverty rate. This index shows dissimilarity in income for census tracts across the region for each year displayed, and demonstrates what percentage of the population would need to relocate to another census tract in order to match the income distribution for the entire region. The higher the index value, the greater the geographic concentration of wealth or poverty.