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 Boundaries | HEROP_ID, GEOID, and Census Flags | Tiger/Line 2010, 2018; | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household Characteristics | Percent males aged 15 or older who are married, never married, separated, divorced, or widowed | ACS 2020, 2023 | Marital_Status | Tract, Zip, County | 2020, 2023 |
| 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, 2023; Census 2020 | Household_Characteristics | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018, 2020, 2023 | |
| Residential Segregation Measures | Dissimilarity, Interaction, and Isolation Indices for Black, Asian, & Hispanic Groups | ACS 2018, 2023 | Residential_Segregation | Zip, County, State | 2018 |
| Community Overlay Variables | Hypersegregated Cities, Southern Blackbelt, Native American Reservations | Census 2000; TIGER/Line 2017; Massey et al, 2015; | Unique_Communities | County | 2000, 2015, 2017 |
| Race & Ethnicity | Population percentages by race and ethnicity | ACS 2018, 2023; Census 2010, 2020; IPUMS 1980, 1990, 2000 | Race_Ethnicity | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Population with Disability | Population with Disability (%) | ACS 2012, 2018, 2023; IPUMS NHGIS 2000 | Population_withDisability | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Incarceration | Total Prison Population Rate, Total Prison Admission Rate, Total Prison Population Count, Prison Prison Admissions Count | Vera Institute of Justice 2016 | Prison_Incarceration_Rates | County | 2016 |
| Total Jail Population Rate, Total jail admission rate, Pretrial Jail Population Rate, Total Jail Population Count & more | Vera Institute of Justice 2017 | Jail_Incarceration_Rates | County | 2017 | |
| Veteran Population | Total Veteran Population, % Veteran Population | ACS 2018, 2023; Census 2010, 2020 | Veteran_Population | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Population, Age & Sex Ratios | Population percentages split by age groups and male/female ratios | ACS 2018, 2023; Census 2010, 2020; IPUMS 1980, 1990, 2000 | Demographic_Characteristics | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Educational Characteristics | Population percentage with or without varying levels of educational attainment, further grouped by age | ACS 2020, 2023 | Educational_Characteristics | Tract, Zip, County | 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 | 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 2012, 2018; Social Explorer 2010 | Housing_Variables | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Greenspace Measures | Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) | Tiger/Line 2018; Sentinel-2 MSI 2018; OSM | Greenspace_Measures | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018, 2022 |
| 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, 2021; 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) | HUD 2018; ACS 2012, 2018 | Foreclosure_Rate | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Employment Trends | Working Population Total, 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, 2023 | Jobs_byIndustry | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Unemployment Rate, Essential Workers Total, Essential Workers % | ACS 2018, 2023 | Employment_Trends | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2018, 2020, 2023 | |
| Internet Access | Households without Internet Access % | ACS 2019 | Internet_Access | Tract, Zip, County, State | 2019 |
| Poverty, Income, Gini Coefficient | Employment, poverty, income, and income inequality (Gini Coefficient) | ACS 2012, 2018; Social Explorer 2010 | Economic_Characteristics | Tract, Zip, County, State | 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
Policy
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marijuana Policies | Laws authorizing medical marijuana use | PDAPS 2017 | Medical_Marijuana_Laws | State | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| State & Local Government Expenditures | Expenditure amounts for corrections, police, fire, and other services, by state | Survey of State and Local Government Finances 2018-2022 | Public_Expenditures | State | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Medicaid spending | KFF 2018, 2019 | Medical_Expenditures | State | 2018, 2019, 2023 | |
| Harm Reduction Policies | Presence of laws around naloxone access by state | OPTIC 2017-2022 | Naloxone_Policy | State | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| 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_Policy | State | 2019 | |
| Good Samaritan Laws (Date, Fraction of Year Enacted) | OPTIC 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 | Good_Samaritan_Laws | State | 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 | |
| Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) | Presence of PDMP programs by state | OPTIC 2017-2022 | PDMP_Presence | State | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
Outcome
| Variable Construct | Variable Proxy | Source | Metadata | Spatial Scale | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid Indicators | Opioid Prescription Rates, Opioid Mortality Rates, Prescription Pain Medication Misuse | HepVu 2014-2022 | Opioid_Outcomes | County, State | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Hepatitis C Rates | Rates of Hep C cases by age and demographics | HepVu 2013-2016, 2018-2022 | HepatitisC_Rates | 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, 2020, 2022 | 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.