About the health equity data
About the health equity data
This page provides general information about the health equity data and measures developed by the Minnesota Public Health Tracking Program. For more information about these data, email us at health.dataportal@state.mn.us.
Poverty
Data on the geographic distribution of poverty are taken from the 2017 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
Learn more about the poverty data and look up how your neighborhood or county compares to the statewide average at Poverty in Minnesota counties or Poverty in Minnesota neighborhoods. See about the poverty & income data for more information on how poverty is defined and limitations of the poverty data.
Asthma
Hospitalization and emergency department (ED) data are extracted from Minnesota Hospital Discharge Data (MNHDD), which is maintained by the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA). Emergency department data do not include data from federal and sovereign hospitals (e.g., Veteran's Administration, Indian Health Service) or data on Minnesota residents seen in facilities outside of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more about the asthma data and for more data, view asthma emergency department visits.
Lead
Data on blood lead testing and elevated blood lead levels are provided by the MDH Lead & Healthy Homes Program, which implements the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP), and are extracted from the Blood Lead Information System (BLIS).
Learn more about childhood lead exposure or see about the childhood lead exposure data to learn how elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) are identified.
Poverty categories were calculated by comparing the 90% confidence interval of poverty in each geography (tract or county) to the 90% confidence interval for poverty statewide. Using difference from the mean methodology, geographies (tracts or counties) were classified as significantly different from MN if the intervals do not overlap – either higher than the state mean (average) or lower than the state – or as no different from the state if intervals overlap.
County poverty levels compared to Minnesota (MN) poverty level
|
Number of MN counties |
Percent of MN counties |
|
|
Lower than Minnesota |
20 |
23% |
|
Same as Minnesota |
50 |
57% |
|
Higher than Minnesota |
17 |
20% |
Source: 2017 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for children under 18 years of age by county of residence.
Neighborhood poverty levels compared to Minnesota (MN) poverty level
|
|
Number of MN census tracts |
Percent of MN census tracts |
|
Lower than Minnesota |
457 |
34% |
|
Same as Minnesota |
734 |
55% |
|
Higher than Minnesota |
139 |
10% |
Source: 2017 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for children under 5 years of age by census tract (neighborhood) of residence.
- Learn more about creating health equity in Minnesota or about the Center for Health Equity at MDH
- Read the Minnesota statewide health assessment from MDH
- Learn more about the inequities in air pollution and health in a report from MN Tracking Program
- Learn more about environmental justice and air from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Minnesota Department of Health. Health equity in childhood asthma and lead exposure. Collected by the Minnesota Tracking Program. St. Paul, Minnesota: Accessed from MN Public Health Data Access portal. [Add URL] Retrieved month, year.