Colorado EnviroScreen

The default view of the map shows the state of Colorado. Individual counties, census tracts, or census block groups are color-coded based on their EnviroScreen score. The legend on the right side of the map shows what each color represents. The darker the color, the worse the EnviroScreen score. Users can zoom in and out, drag the map to a different location, and click on a location to learn more about its EnviroScreen score and how the score was calculated.

To use the map, follow the steps below or watch this demonstration.

Step 1: Select your map settings.

First, Select the “Geographic Scale” you want to visualize. Use the drop-down menu to view the map at the county level, census tract level, or census block group level. The county level is the largest scale, and the census block group is the smallest scale. Proceed to Select the “Indicator” for Map

Next, Select the “Indicator” that you want to visualize. The default layer displayed on the map is the overall EnviroScreen score, which combines all the indicators included in the tool in a single score. Click on the drop-down menu and scroll through the options to select another layer, such as a group component or individual indicators. Proceed to “Measure or %”

Third, Select if you want to visualize the indicator “Measure or %.” Choose how to display the selected map layer. Measured value displays the actual measurement of the data source (e.g., micrograms of pollutants, cases of disease, etc.). The measure is most meaningful for individual data layers like ozone or asthma hospitalizations. A percentile is like a ranking. The number represents the percentage of places in Colorado that are equal or have a lower ranking than the selected area. For example, a EnviroScreen percentile of 80 signifies that 80% of areas in Colorado are less likely to be affected by environmental health injustices than the area of interest and that 20% of areas in Colorado are more likely to be affected by environmental health injustices.

Once you have made your selections, click Update Map. It may take a moment for the map to load.

Note: If you do not click Update Map after selecting your map settings, the selection will not be updated in the map, figure and table. The Remove Highlighted Areas button on the right side clears the highlighted areas. You can highlight areas using the data table at the bottom of the tool.

Step 2: Interact with the map.

Individual counties, census tracts, or census block groups are color-coded based on the map layer you select. The legend on the right side of the map shows what these colors represent. The darker colors mean greater values, which represent a worse EnviroScreen score. Use the icons in the upper left of the map to zoom in and out, search for a specific address, center the map, customize the background map color, or add additional map layers.

Learn more about an area
Click an area on the map to learn more. The pop-up window displays the value for the indicator you selected in the settings toolbar above the map. The graph and table below the map display more information about the area you clicked.

Search for an address
Search for an address, city, ZIP code, or place name using the magnifying glass icon and “Search using OSM Geocoder” search bar.

Customize and add context (additional map layers)
On the left side of the map, customize the display by selecting the base map or by adding additional map layers.

The base map options provide different background maps (e.g., light, dark, or with streets and points of interest). The base map options do not influence the ranks or measures presented in the tool.

The additional map layers provide information about areas designated by the federal government as disadvantaged in the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) for purposes of distributing Justice40 funding. Other layers show areas that meet the current and prior definitions of disproportionately impacted communities that apply to all state agencies, including CDPHE. Not that mobile home parks are part of the current definition of disproportionately impacted community includes mobile home parks, which are displayed in a separate layer because they are point sources rather than census block groups. Another, separate layer shows areas where the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) Regulation (Reg.) Number 3, which governs permitting in disproportionately impacted communities, applies. The additional map layers options only provide additional context. The additional map layer options are not part of the EnviroScreen methods and do not influence the ranks or measures presented in the tool.

Step 3: Explore the data in another way.

Learn more about a selected area using the bar charts and data table.

Bar Charts
The bar charts show whether an area is more or less affected than other parts of the state for each score category. Read the “How to use the bar charts” tab to the right to learn more.

The data table presents the same data shown in the map and bar charts in a tabular, downloadable format. The table presents the data at the same geographical scale as the map. Read the “How to use the data table” tab to the right to learn more.

The bar chart on the right side of the map shows the overall EnviroScreen score. The bar charts below the map show the scores of each of the five components that make up the overall score. These charts show whether an area is more or less affected than other parts of the state for each category.

Bar height (y axis) represents the number of areas in Colorado that share the same range of burden as the selected area.

The horizontal location of the bar (x axis) represents the burden category (based on the percentile rank). If the bar is more towards the left, it represents a less burdened area compared to the rest of Colorado. If the bar is more towards the right, it represents a more burdened area compared to the rest of Colorado.

When an area is selected in the map, this is displayed in orange in the charts. Orange bars represent where the selected area is located in the distribution of the overall EnviroScreen score and individual components.

The data table presents the same data shown in the map and charts in a tabular format. Table columns describe the type of information displayed (e.g., county, component, indicator name). Table rows represent individual geographies. The table presents the data at the same geographical scale as the map. If the map is a county level, the data table will show county level data; if the map displays a census tract or census block group, the data table will show the corresponding geography data.

By default, the table shows ten rows. You can increase the number of rows visualized by clicking the 'Show entries' box at the top left of the table (maximum 100 rows). To visualize the data from all geographies in the table, the number of available pages containing all the data is also presented at the bottom right of the table.

A 'search' box is also available at the top right corner of the table. You can type the county name, census tract, or census block group number to easily identify the column with the corresponding data.

The data table also includes different tabs organized by score components.

You can also explore the data by sorting the table by high or low values by clicking on the column headers.

The area selected in the map will be highlighted in the data table below the charts. Select a row or rows to highlight the selection in the map. For example, you could sort the table to find the areas with the highest climate vulnerability score, select rows in the table, and click “Highlight Selection on Map.” The areas selected in the table will be highlighted on the map.

Data presented in the table can also be downloaded by clicking the 'Download Data from Current Geography' box.

EnviroScreen score

Colorado EnviroScreen maps the overlap of environmental exposures and effects, climate vulnerability, sensitive populations, and demographics to understand environmental injustice and environmental health risks in Colorado.

The EnviroScreen score is calculated using an area’s relative ranking (percentile) of individual data indicators. The EnviroScreen score combines individual indicators into topic-based sub-components, like climate vulnerability or demographics. The EnviroScreen score then combines the sub-components further into the Pollution and Climate Burden and Health and Social Factors scores. These two scores are multiplied together to get the EnviroScreen score. The EnviroScreen score is the default data shown on the map. You can display individual indicators or sub-component scores.

A higher EnviroScreen score means the area is more likely to be affected by environmental health injustices.

Component scores

You can view the components that make up the EnviroScreen score by selecting either of the Group Component Scores or any of the Individual Component Scores. Each of these scores is made up of multiple individual indicators, which you can also view on their own. Like the overall EnviroScreen score, component scores reflect relative rankings (percentiles).

Individual indicators

You can also view individual data indicators on the map. In the “Indicator” drop-down menu below, these individual indicators are organized under the component they feed into. For example, measures of air quality can be found under Environmental Exposures.

Each individual data indicator represents something different and uses a different unit of measure. For example, some indicators (such as air quality,) are estimated concentrations while others (such as heart disease) are rates or percentages of certain health outcomes. For more information, please consult the technical document.

Data sources

Indicators included in Colorado EnviroScreen come from a variety of data sources. Many of these sources are publicly available from state and federal agencies, like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC).

Although EnviroScreen contains many indicators, some of these indicators are from a few years ago or represent measurements at a larger geographic scale. There are also some environmental exposures, climate impacts, health outcomes, and demographic factors that we could not include in EnviroScreen because there are no reliable data sources available.

Data limitations

The data included in EnviroScreen has several limitations due to the use of secondary data. Secondary data refers to data that is collected by someone other than the primary user. Moreover, the indicators used were often compiled from different years, making it difficult to compare the data sets. Furthermore, not all data was originally available at the same geographical scale. Some data were reported at the county level (2 indicators), others at the census tract level (9 indicators), and others at the census block group level or in a smaller geographical scale (24 indicators). Finally, although the tool aims to provide a comprehensive description of environmental injustices, indicators were not always available in a geographic information system format. Given this, Colorado EnviroScreen provides a limited representation of environmental injustices based on data availability. For more information, please consult the technical documentation.

Here is one example of how a stakeholder could use Colorado EnviroScreen to meet their goals.

A non-profit group is applying for a grant to install more air pollution monitoring in its community. The grant rules specify that applicants must show that their community needs the funds. The group knows science-based information will strengthen its application. The group uses Colorado EnviroScreen to get more information about their community.

Here is how the community group could use Colorado EnviroScreen:

1. The non-profit staff goes to the Colorado EnviroScreen webpage.
2. They use the “Search” feature in the map to find the census tract in which their community is located.
3. They click the area on the map and visualize the results in the charts and table to view additional information.
4. They review how the overall EnviroScreen, component and indicator scores for their census tract compare with the rest of the state.
5. They download the data for their community at the bottom of the page.
6. They use this information to write a compelling grant application for community air monitors.

AQCC Reg. 3 - Disproportionately Impacted Community

This term refers to areas that are subject to Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) Regulation (Reg.) Number 3, which is a rule that requires stronger permitting protections for facilities located in disproportionately impacted communities. This includes most of the areas that meet the broader statewide definition of disproportionately impacted community, but does not include areas that meet the federal definition of disadvantaged community in the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Reservations, and mobile home parks.

Climate Vulnerability score

This Climate Vulnerability score represents a community’s risk of drought, flood, extreme heat, and wildfire compared to the rest of the state. The score ranges from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the higher the burden.

Demographics score

The demographics score represents a community’s social and economic vulnerabilities. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher number representing a higher vulnerability. It is calculated using data on people living with disabilities, housing cost burden, educational attainment, limited English proficiency, income, and race and ethnicity.

Disproportionately Impacted Community

This term refers to areas that meet the definition of “Disproportionately Impacted Community” under Colorado law. House Bill 23-1233 adopted a definition that applies to all state agencies, including CDPHE. The definition includes census block groups where more than 40% of the population are low-income (meaning that median household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty line), 50% of the households are housing cost-burdened (meaning that a household spends more than 30% of its income on housing costs like rent or a mortgage), 40% of the population are people of color (including all people who do not identify as non-Hispanic white), or 20% of households are linguistically isolated (meaning that all members of a household that are 14 years old or older have difficulty with speaking English. Also included in this definition are mobile home communities, the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian Reservations, and all areas that qualify as disadvantaged in the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. The definition also includes census block groups that experience higher rates of cumulative impacts, which is represented by an EnviroScreen Score (Percentile) above 80. This definition is not part of the EnviroScreen components or score, and does not influence the results presented in the map, charts or table. Both areas that meet the current definition of of disproportionately impacted community that was adopted in May 2023 by HB23-1233, and the prior definition (which only included the race, income, housing cost burden, and EnviroScreen score above the 80th percentile) are shown in Colorado EnviroScreen.

Federal CEJST (Justice40)

In 2021, the White House directed the Council on Environmental Quality to develop the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). The tool identifies communities that are considered disadvantaged due to burdens related to climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development. Federal agencies use the federal CEJST map to identify communities that will benefit from programs in the Justice40 Initiative. The goal of the Justice40 Initiative is to provide 40% of the overall benefits of investments in climate, clean energy, and related areas to disadvantaged communities. This definition is not part of the EnviroScreen components or score, and does not influence the results presented in the map, charts or table. Areas that the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool identifies as disadvantaged also meet the definition of disproportionately impacted community under Colorado law.

Environmental Effects score

The environmental effects score represents how many hazardous or toxic sites are in a community relative to the rest of the state. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher score being worse. The score is the average of data on proximity to mining, oil and gas operations, impaired surface waters, wastewater discharge facilities, Superfund sites, facilities that use hazardous chemicals, and facilities that generate, treat, store, or dispose of hazardous wastes. As most people are not directly exposed to these sites, this score is weighted half as much as environmental exposures in the overall Pollution and Climate Burden score.

Environmental Exposures score

The environmental exposures score represents a community’s exposure to certain environmental risks relative to the rest of the state. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores being worse. The environmental exposures score does not cover all pollutants; it is the average of data on diesel particulate matter, traffic proximity, ozone, PM 2.5, air toxics, other air pollutants, lead exposure risk, drinking water violations, and noise.

EnviroScreen Score

The EnviroScreen Score combines population characteristics and environmental burdens. The score goes from 0 to 100, with the highest score representing the highest burden.
The EnviroScreen score is a percentile, which is like a ranking. The number represents how many of the state’s counties, census tracts, or census block groups have a lower score than the area in question.

Suppose a county has an EnviroScreen score of 70. This means its EnviroScreen score is higher than 70% of all counties in Colorado. In other words, 70% of counties in Colorado are less likely to be affected by environmental health injustices than the selected county.

Suppose a census tract has an EnviroScreen score of 20. This means its EnviroScreen score is higher than 20% of all census tracts in Colorado. In other words, 20% of counties in Colorado are less likely to be affected by environmental health injustices than the selected census tract, or 80% of census tracts in Colorado are more likely to be affected by environmental health injustices than the selected census tracts.

Health and Social Factors score

The Health and Social Factors score combines the Sensitive Populations and Demographics scores. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with the highest score representing the most susceptible and vulnerable populations.

Pollution and Climate Burden score

The Pollution and Climate Burden score combines the scores from the following components: Environmental Exposures, Environmental Effects, and Climate Vulnerability. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with the highest score representing the most environmentally burdened populations.

Sensitive Populations score

The sensitive populations score captures how at risk a community is to environmental exposures and climate impacts as it relates to health. For example, air pollution has stronger impacts on older and younger people, and people with chronic conditions such as asthma. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher score being worse. The score is calculated using data on asthma hospitalization rate, cancer prevalence, diabetes prevalence, heart disease prevalence, life expectancy, low birth weight rate, mental health, population over 65, and population under 5.

Story Maps

A StoryMap is an immersive story that combines text, interactive maps, and other multimedia content. In Colorado EnviroScreen, the StoryMaps highlight life experiences that are complementary to the data included in the tool but importantly, they do not contribute to the EnviroScreen score.

Development through partnership

Colorado EnviroScreen was created through a collaborative partnership between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Colorado State University (CSU) as a result of a competitive bid process.

The team at CSU worked tirelessly to develop and build the EnviroScreen tool, with input from the community, stakeholders, and CDPHE. Moving forward, CDPHE will own and maintain the tool.

Questions or comments about Colorado EnviroScreen should be sent to cdphe_ej@state.co.us.

Community engagement

Participation and feedback from the Colorado community was an essential factor in the development of Colorado EnviroScreen.

From the start of developing Colorado EnviroScreen, the CSU and CDPHE team worked hard to engage the public. In the early stages of defining the tool, the team conducted individual interviews, hosted focus groups in English and Spanish, and facilitated a large bilingual public meeting. Through this outreach, the team learned how diverse Coloradans could use the tool, and gathered feedback about what to include in the tool.

After the team created a basic version of Colorado EnviroScreen, they facilitated a closed-wave beta test in which more than 100 users tested the tool. In this beta, the team gathered feedback through a bilingual online questionnaire and interviews with individuals representing important groups of Colorado EnviroScreen users. After improving Colorado EnviroScreen based on feedback from the first round of beta testing, the team facilitated a public beta test. During the public beta test, many community members across Colorado shared their ideas through a bilingual online questionnaire and a public meeting. At every stage, the development team reviewed the feedback received and integrated it into the tool as much as possible.

Colorado EnviroScreen supporting materials

Basic user guide (English | Spanish)

Technical documentation (currently only available in English)

Community engagement report (currently only available in English)

CDPHE programs

Environmental Justice Program https://cdphe.colorado.gov/environmental-justice

Toxicology and Environmental Epidemiology Office https://cdphe.colorado.gov/environment/toxicology-and-environmental-epidemiology

Air Pollution Control Division https://cdphe.colorado.gov/environment/air-pollution-control

Water Quality Control Division https://cdphe.colorado.gov/water-quality

Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hm

Office of Health Equity https://cdphe.colorado.gov/ohe

Prevention and Wellness https://cdphe.colorado.gov/health/prevention-and-wellness

CDPHE Commerce City & North Denver Information https://cdphe.colorado.gov/cc-nd

Other state agencies

Colorado Department of Natural Resources https://dnr.colorado.gov/

Colorado Department of Transportation https://www.codot.gov/

Colorado Department of Human Services https://cdhs.colorado.gov/

Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission https://cogcc.state.co.us/#/home

Colorado Public Utilities Commission https://puc.colorado.gov/

Colorado Hazard Mapping and Risk Map portal https://coloradohazardmapping.com/

Environmental justice at federal programs and agencies

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development https://www.hud.gov/climate/environmental_justice

Justice40 Initiative https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2021/07/20/the-path-to-achieving-justice40/

Council on Environmental Quality Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool - beta https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#3/33.47/-97.5

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/tracking/topics/EnvironmentalJustice.htm

Real-time air monitoring

Denver Love My Air Program https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Public-Health-Environment/Environmental-Quality/Air-Quality/Love-My-Air

Tri-County Health Department Love My Air Program https://www.tchd.org/868/Love-My-Air

Cultivando’s air monitoring program in Commerce City https://www.bouldair.com/commerce_city.htm

AirNow.gov https://www.airnow.gov/

Suncor Refinery Community Air Monitoring https://www.ccnd-air.com/

Colorado Department of Transportation particulate matter (dust) monitoring for Central 70 project in North Denver https://www.codot.gov/projects/i70east/resources/air-quality

Frequently Asked Questions