Visualizing climate health impacts in San Francisco

Mapping the connections between climate change and inequities by exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity

Sections

Visualizing the Climate Health Impacts

The maps below are intended to visualize how exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity differs neighborhood to neighborhood, and community to community in San Francisco. For descriptions about how each indicator relates to vulnerability to extreme heat and wildfire smoke, please visit our Climate Health and Equity page. 

Instructions

  1. The buttons at the top of the each map can be used to navigate between different indicators.
  2. The table below each map displays the data values visualized in the map.
  3. Clicking on a census tract in the map will highlight the data for that particular census tract. Click outside the map (in the San Francisco Bay) to un-highlight a census tract.
  4. Clicking on a row in the table will highlight the data for that particular census tract. Click on the row again to un-highlight that particular census tract.
  5. Definitions and data sources are available in the drop-down menus below the maps. 
  6. Any questions can be directed to climateandhealth@sfdph.org

 

Exposure

Exposure refers to a person's proximity to the impacts of a climate event. Exposure can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, community to community, and household to household.

Click the links below to understand how that specific attribute can make someone more vulnerable to the health impacts of extreme heat and wildfire smoke. 

Toggle between the maps below to see factors that influence exposure to climate health impacts:

Data notes and sources

Data notes and sources

​​​​​​Annual Average Particulate Matter (PM2.5) 

  • Definition: Annual average PM2.5 concentration in micrograms per meters cubed 

  • Data source: San Francisco Department of Public Health, and San Francisco Planning Department, The San Francisco Citywide Health Risk Assessment: Technical Support Documentation, September 2020 

Extreme Heat

  • Definition: Surface temperature (Fahrenheit) during the extreme heat event on September 2, 2017 

  • Data source: Surface temperature was collected using land surface kinetic temperature data from NASA’s Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) satellite for September 2, 2017, a record-breaking heat wave in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Building Age

  • Definition: Percent of residential units built prior to 1974 

  • Data source: “Land Use 2020” from the SF.gov data portal 

Unhoused Population 

  • Definition: A point-in-time count of all persons (both sheltered and unsheltered) experiencing homelessness 

  • Data source: 2022 Homeless Count and Survey, San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing 

Data notes and sources

Data notes and sources

​​​​​​Density of tree canopy 

  • Definition: Percent area of census tract not under tree canopy 

  • Data source: City of San Francisco Urban Tree Canopy Analysis, 2013 

Density of impervious surfaces 

  • Definition: Percent area of census tract that is impermeable surface 

  • Data source: SFPUC/SFGIS, 2023. Retrieved from personal correspondence 

Population density 

  • Definition: Population per square mile 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Sensitivity

Sensitivity refers to a person's physiological reaction to extreme heat. Sensitivity varies from person to person. Two people may be equally exposed to extreme temperatures, but one person may be more sensitive to that exposure.

Click the links below to understand how that specific attribute can make someone more vulnerable to the health impacts of extreme heat and wildfire smoke. 

Toggle between the maps below to see factors that influence sensitivity to climate health impacts.

Data notes and sources

Data notes and sources

Adults ages 65 and over

  • Definition: Percent population older adult, ages 65 and over 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Children ages 4 and under

  • Definition: Percent population children, less than 5 years old 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Population with diabetes 

  • Definition: Age-adjusted rate of ED visits for diabetes per 10,000 residents 

  • Data source: California Department of Health Care Access and Information, Emergency Department data, 2013 – 2017 

Population with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 

  • Definition: Age-adjusted rate of ED visits for asthma and COPD per 10,000 residents 

  • Data source: California Department of Health Care Access and Information, Emergency Department data, 2013 – 2017  

Population with heart failure 

  • Definition: Age-adjusted rate of ED visits for heart failure per 10,000 residents 

  • Data source: California Department of Health Care Access and Information, Emergency Department data, 2013 – 2017 

Adaptive Capacity

Adaptive capacity refers to the ability of a person to prepare for or respond to extreme heat. Two people may be equally exposed and equally sensitive, but one person may be more resilient because they have access to political, economic, or social resources.

Click the links below to understand how that specific attribute can make someone more vulnerable to the health impacts of extreme heat and wildfire smoke. 

Toggle between the maps below to see factors that influence adaptive capacity to climate health impacts:

Data notes and sources

Data notes and sources

Disability 

  • Definition: Percent of adult civilian non-institutionalized population that indicates having a disability 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Linguistic isolation 

  • Definition: Percent of households that are "limited English-speaking" 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Poverty 

  • Definition: Percent population with an income under 400% of the federal poverty rate 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Data notes and sources

Data notes and sources

Race and Ethnicity 

  • Definitions: (1) Percent of population across categories for “Race alone or in combination with one or more other races,” and (2) Hispanic or Latino origin 

  • From the U.S. Census: “The concept ‘race alone or in combination’ includes people who reported a single race alone (e.g., Asian) and people who reported that race in combination with one or more of the other major race groups (e.g., White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Some Other Race). The concept ‘race alone or in combination’ concept, therefore, represents the maximum number of people who reported as that race group, either alone or in combination with one or more additional race(s). The sum of the six individual race ‘alone-or-in-combination' categories may add to more than the total population because people who reported more than one race were tallied in each race category.” For more information, see “Definitions of Subject Characteristics U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Summary File 1, 2010 Census Summary File 1.” 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Data notes and sources

Data notes and sources

Isolation of older adults 

  • Definition: Percent of adults 65 and over that live alone 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Educational attainment 

  • Definition: Percent of population 25 and older with no high school diploma (or equivalent) 

  • Data source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 – 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates 

Open Space 

  • Definition: Percent area of census tract further than 1/8 mile from open space 

  • Data source: Recreation and Parks, 2023. Retrieved from personal correspondence 

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