Indicators Overview

What is an indicator?

An indicator is a measure of either environmental conditions (Pollution Burden) or health and socioeconomic factors that can increase vulnerability to pollution (Population Characteristics).

CalEnviroScreen’s 23 indicators fall into four broad groups:

Pollution Burden:

  • Exposure indicators describe different types of pollution that communities may experience.
  • Environmental Effects indicators describe the locations of toxic chemicals in or near communities.

Population Characteristics: 

  • Sensitive Populations indicators describe health conditions that can make a community more sensitive to the effects of pollution.
  • Socioeconomic Factors indicators describe living conditions that may increase community stress or otherwise make healthy living difficult. These factors can also make a community more sensitive to the effects of pollution.

Indicators are scored separately but are then combined into a single index to produce a community’s overall CalEnviroScreen score. Information on how indicators are scored and how the combined CalEnviroScreen score is produced can be found in the CalEnviroScreen 5.0 Technical Report.

How were indicators selected?

Each indicator is based on publicly available data from a federal, state, regional, or local public agency and must adhere to the following selection criteria:

  • Reflects a component of cumulative impacts with scientific rationale,
  • Reflects environmental justice principles,
  • Has data available for the entire state at the census tract level or is translatable to the census tract level,
  • Represents a statewide, not just a regional or local, concern,
  • Has variation across the state,
  • Is informed by previous public comments and feedback on CalEnviroScreen, and
  • Is not currently reflected in CalEnviroScreen.

To make sure that CalEnviroScreen indicators reflect community priorities, OEHHA partnered with community-based organizations in a co-design process for CalEnviroScreen 5.0. For more details on this partnership, including how we developed proposals for the Diabetes and Small Air Toxic Sites indicators, please see our CalEnviroScreen 5.0 Co-Design Report.

Pollution Burden

Exposure Indicators

Ozone Air Quality: Ozone 
PM2.5 Air Quality: PM2.5 
Children's Lead Risk from Housing Children's Lead Risk from Housing 
Diesel Particulate Matter Diesel Particulate Matter 
Drinking Water Contaminants Drinking Water Contaminants 
Pesticide Use Pesticide Use 
Toxic Releases from Facilities Toxic Releases from Facilities 
Traffic Impacts Traffic Impacts 

Environmental Effects Indicators

Cleanup Sites Cleanup Sites 
Groundwater Threats Groundwater Threats 
Hazardous Waste Generators and Facilities Hazardous Waste Generators and Facilities 
Impaired Water Bodies Impaired Waters 
Small Air Toxic Sites Small Air Toxic Sites 
Solid Waste Sites and Facilities Solid Waste Sites and Facilities 

Population Characteristics

Sensitive Population Indicators

Asthma Asthma 
Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular Disease 
Diabetes Diabetes Prevalence 
Low-Birth-Weight Infants Low-Birth-Weight Infants 

Socioeconomic Factor Indicators

Educational Attainment Educational Attainment 
Housing Burden Housing Burden 
Linguistic Isolation Linguistic Isolation 
Poverty Poverty 
Unemployment Unemployment