For Data Journalists
Story-Ready Findings
Counterintuitive patterns in community health resilience. Find your local data and uncover stories that matter.
Story Starters
The 4 Standard Deviation Gap
College communities average +2.95 resilience. Prison communities average -0.98. Education vs. incarceration: a 4 SD divide in community health.
Read the Story →Ohio's Bifurcation
Columbus has some of America's healthiest tracts. Cleveland has some of the worst. Same state, 140 miles apart, 10+ SD difference.
Explore →The 9-Point Chasm
Within single counties, resilience varies by 9+ points. Same governance, vastly different outcomes. The hyperlocal matters.
Explore →The West Virginia Paradox
Highest health burden in America, yet near-average resilience. What protective factors are communities providing?
Explore → NewThe Hispanic Paradox Is an Artifact
South American communities: +0.147 correlation. Mexican communities: -0.029. The aggregate statistic masks a 2.6 SD gap within Texas alone.
Read the Paper → New0.43 SD Health Equity Gap
Majority-minority communities show lower resilience on average—but DC shows +1.87 SD advantage while Mississippi shows -0.89 SD disadvantage. Equity is achievable.
Read the Paper →Find Your Local Story
Every region has a story. Use our tools to find the resilience outliers in your coverage area—communities thriving against the odds, or struggling despite advantages.
Key Metrics Explained
Resilience Score
How much better or worse a community's health outcomes are than predicted by its socioeconomic conditions. Positive = healthier than expected. Scale ranges roughly -5 to +5.
Health Burden
Composite measure of chronic disease, mental health, preventive care gaps, and behavioral risk factors. Higher = more health challenges. Standardized with mean 0.
Census Tract
Geographic unit averaging ~4,000 people. Small enough to show neighborhood variation, large enough for statistical reliability. There are 54,560 residential tracts in our dataset.
Press Materials
Press Release: College vs Prison
The 4 standard deviation health gap between education and incarceration communities.
Press Release: Hispanic Paradox
Why aggregate Hispanic health data masks dramatic heterogeneity.
Press Release: Ohio's Health Divide
Columbus vs Cleveland: 140 miles apart, 10+ standard deviations different.
Journalist Fact Sheet
Quick-reference guide to all major findings with interpretation guidelines.
Need Help with Your Story?
We're happy to help journalists understand the data, identify local patterns, or provide context for stories. The data is open access—no restrictions on use.
Citation: Community Resilience Mapping Project (2026). https://odds.health