Methodology & data sources

All public briefs are built from transparent federal data. We never invent values; when a source is unavailable we return null.

Primary sources

• HUD Section 202 — subsidized housing for very-low-income seniors (62+)
• HUD Section 811 — subsidized housing for people with disabilities
• USDA Rural Development Section 515 — rural rental housing
• HRSA HPSA — Health Professional Shortage Area designations
• CDC BRFSS & PLACES — chronic disease prevalence (65+) at state and tract level
• HHS emPOWER — county-level electricity-dependent Medicare beneficiaries
• CMS — D-SNP plan geography, Star Ratings, MSSP benchmarks
• NEMSIS — EMS fall / cardiac / respiratory incident rates for 65+
• USDA ERS RUCA — rural classification

Composite scores

• Health Burden Score (0–100) — weighted BRFSS + NEMSIS + city-level indicators
• Health Intervention Priority Score (0–100) — base burden × urgency multipliers (EMS pattern, chronic disease cluster, food desert, REAC/NSPIRE condition, compound risk)
• Rural Isolation Index (0–100) — hospital distance, grocery distance, broadband, emergency proximity, RUCA