Data Docs
Variable constructs are grouped thematically below to highlight the multi-dimensional risk environment of opioid use in justice populations. In the Metadata column, linked pages provide more detail about the data source, descriptions of data cleaning or processing, and individual variables included.
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Geography
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geographic Characteristics | Park Area | OSM; Tiger/Line 2018 | Park_Cover | State | 2018, 2022 |
| Geographic Boundaries | HEROP_ID, GEOID, and Census Flags | Healthy Regions & Policies Lab, UIUC; Tiger/Line 2018; Tiger/Line 2010 | Geographic_Boundaries | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 |
Social
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marital Status | Percent males aged 15 or older who are married, never married, separated, divorced, or widowed | ACS | Marital_Status | Tract, Zip, County | 2020, 2023 |
| Residential Segregation Measures | Dissimilarity, Interaction, and Isolation Indices for Black, Asian, & Hispanic Groups | ACS 2018, 5-Year | Residential_Segregation | Zip, County, State | 2018 |
| Household Characteristics | Total Population in Households, % Nonrelatives in Family Households, % Nonrelatives in Non-family Households, % Males 15 years and over who are divorced, Average family size, etc. | ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS | HouseholdType | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Race & Ethnicity | Population percentages by race and ethnicity | ACS 2018, 5-Year; Census 2010; IPUMS NHGIS; ACS | Race_Ethnicity | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Age & Demographic | Population with a Disability, % Less than High School degree | ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS 2012, 5-Year; ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS 2012, 5-Year; IPUMS NHGIS | Other_Demographic_2018 | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Population percentages split by age groups and male/female ratios | ACS 2018, 5-Year; 2010 Decennial Census; IPUMS NHGIS; ACS 2018, 5-Year; Census 2010; IPUMS NHGIS; IPUMS NHGIS; ACS ; ACS 2018, 5-Year; 2010 Decennial Census | Demographics | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 | |
| Community Overlay Variables | Hypersegregated Cities, Southern Blackbelt, Native American Reservations | TIGER/Line 2017; Massey et al, 2015; US Census, 2000 | Overlay | County | 2000, 2015, 2017 |
| Educational Characteristics | Population percentage with or without varying levels of educational attainment, further grouped by age | ACS | Educational_Characteristics | Tract, Zip, County | 2020, 2023 |
| Veteran Population | Total Veteran Population, % Veteran Population | ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS 2012, 5-Year; ACS 2017, 5-Year; ACS 2012, 5-Year | VetPop | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
Environment
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban/Suburban/Rural Classification | Primary RUCA Code, Secondary RUCA Code by County | USDA-ERS 2010 & ACS 2018 5-Year | Rural_Urban_Classification_County | Tract, Zip, County | 2010, 2018 |
| Healthcare Provider Access | Primary Care and Specialty Physician Density (Total, Per Capita Density) | Dartmouth Atlas, 2010 | Healthcare_Provider_Access | Tract, County, State | 2010 |
| Spatial Access to Substance Use Treatment Providers | Spatial access metrics to Substance Use Treatment Providers (Distance, Travel Time, Count Within Threshold) | SAMHSA, 2020 | Access_SubstanceUseTreatment | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2020 |
| Spatial Access to Hospitals | Spatial access metrics to Hospitals (Distance, Travel Time, Count Within Threshold) | CovidCareMap, 2020 | Access_Hospitals | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2020 |
| Housing Characteristics | Housing Characteristics (Occupancy Rate, Vacancy Rate, Rented Rate, Long term Occupancy, Mobile Home Rate, Housing Unit Density) | ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS 2012, 5-Year; Social Explorer; ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS 2018, 5-Year; Census 2010; Social Explorer | Housing_Variables | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Greenspace Measures | Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) | Sentinel-2 MSI, 2018 | Greenspace_Measures | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018 |
| Spatial access to Health Centers | Spatial access metrics to Federally Qualified Health Centers (Distance, Travel Time, Count Within Threshold) | US Covid Atlas via HRSA, 2020; Tiger/Line 2018 | Access_FQHCs | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018, 2020, 2025 |
| Alcohol Outlet Density Measures | Alcohol outlet density measures (geographic density, per capita density, total) | InfoGroup, 2018 | Alcohol_Outlet_Density | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018 |
| Spatial Access to MOUDs | Spatial access metrics to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder(MOUD) including Methadone, Buprenorphine, Naltrexone, and Opioid Treatment Providers (Distance, Travel Time, Count Within Threshold, RAAM Access Score) | ; SAMSHA, 2019; Vivitrol, 2020; OSRM, 2020; SAMSHA, 2021; SAMHSA; SAMHSA, 2019; Vivitrol, 2020; OSRM, 2020 | Access_MOUDs | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2021, 2025 |
| Spatial Access to Mental Health Providers | Spatial access metrics to Mental Health Providers (Distance, Travel Time, Count Within Threshold) | SAMHSA, 2020 | Access_Mental_Health | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2020 |
| Spatial Access to Pharmacies | Spatial access metrics to Pharmacies (Distance, Travel Time, Count Within Threshold) | InfoGroup, 2019 | Access_Pharmacies | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2019 |
Economic
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Recession Foreclosure Rate | Great Recession Foreclosure or Delinquency Measures (Count, Rate) | ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS 2012, 5-Year; HUD, 2018 | Foreclosure_Rate | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Employment Trends | Count of Working Population, Employed % - Education, Employed % - High Risk of Injury, Employed % - Health Care, Employed % - Retail, The number of unemployed individuals as a percentage of the civilian labor force | ACS 2018, 5-Year | Job_Categories_byIndustry_2018 | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Count of Essential Workers, Essential Workers % | ACS 2018, 5-Year | Job_Categories_byOccupation_2018 | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018, 2020, 2023 | |
| State & Local Government Expenditures | Expenditure amounts for corrections, police, fire, and other services, by state | US Census, 2018; State and Local Finance Data Finder | PublicExpenditures | State | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Internet Access | Households without Internet Access % | ACS, 2019 | Internet_Access | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2019 |
| Economic Characteristics | Employment, poverty, income, and income inequality (Gini Coefficient) | ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS 2012, 5-Year; Social Explorer; ACS 2018, 5-Year; ACS 2012, 5-Year | Economic | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
Policy
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naloxone Access Laws | Presence of laws around naloxone access by state | OPTIC, 2017 | Naloxone | State | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Syringe & Paraphernalia Laws | Syringe Service Program (SSP) Authorization Laws, Drug Paraphernalia Laws, Distribution of Syringes Laws, Paraphernalia exludes objects used for injecting drugs, Paraphernalia does not refer to objects used for injecting drugs, Laws removing barriers to SSPs | LawAtlas, 2019 | Syringe | State | 2019 |
| Medical Marijuana Laws | Laws authorizing medical marijuana use | PDAPS, 2017 | MedMarijLaw | State | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) | Presence of PDMP programs by state | OPTIC, 2017 | PDMP | State | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Medicaid Expenditure | Medicaid spending | KFF, 2019; KFF, 2018 | MedExp | State | 2018, 2019, 2023 |
| Prison Incarceration Rates | Total Prison Population Rate, Total Prison Admission Rate, Total Prison Population Count, Prison Prison Admissions Count | Vera Institute of Justice, 2016 | Prison_Variables | County | 2016 |
| Jail Incarceration Rates | Total Jail Population Rate, Total jail admission rate, Pretrial Jail Population Rate, Total Jail Population Count & more | Vera Institute of Justice, 2017 | Jail_Variables | County | 2017 |
| Good Samaritan Laws | Good Samaritan Laws (Date, Fraction of Year Enacted) | OPTIC, 2017 | Good_Samaritan_Laws | State | 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 |
Outcome
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid Indicators | Opioid Prescription Rates, Opioid Mortality Rates, Prescription Pain Medication Misuse | HepVu, 2020 | OpioidIndicators | County, State | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Hepatitis C Rates | Rates of Hep C cases by age and demographics | HepVu; HepVu, 2017 | HepC | State | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
Composite
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDOH Indices & Typology | Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Multivariate Measures (Indices, Neighborhood Typology) | GeoDa Data and Lab; SDOH Atlas; Kolak et al., 2020 | SDOH_Indices | Tract | 2014, 2020 |
| Social Vulnerability Indices | Social Vulnerability Indices | CDC, 2018 | Social_Vulnerability_Indices | Tract, Zip, County | 2018, 2020, 2022 |
Travel Time Matrices
National travel time matrices calculated for origin-destination (O:D) pairs of Census tract and ZCTA centroids for multiple modes of transit: driving, biking, and walking. Matrices calculated using Open Source Routing Machine (OSRM) in 2020. Download matrices at the links below.