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Environmental Health Disparities Map
Environmental Health Disparities Map Engagement Feedback by County - In Progress
We are working on your request that we display your feedback and stories from community engagement. Your input is critical, and we want to gather your feedback and needs to better represent your experiences. We are accountable to you, our partners for representing your community needs.
Thank you for your feedback and stay tuned for the EHD map update going live in December 2025!
The EHD map is a collage of lived experiences across Washington. You, your families, and communities make up this map. This interactive map compares communities using census tracts to identify disparities. Using the EHD map can help us determine where more attention needs to be placed in order address and reduce the specific pollution, societal, and health harms affecting your life.
- Census tracts are small, relatively permanent geographic subdivisions within counties.
- Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve greater health.
- Concerns and needs of Washington residents are represented by showing the combined of impacts to their health.
So, what do we mean by Environmental Health Disparities (EHD)? We define this as the increasing combination of factors (social, medical, climate, and environmental) that create inequities in health, which cause more sickness, disease, pollution, and other problems to Washington communities with more economic need.
For example, the map shows pollution measures such as pesticide exposure and ozone, as well as nearness to harmful waste sites. In addition, the map can show a combination of impacts. For example, communities at the federal poverty level and at greater risk for heart disease.
While the EHD map is not a crystal ball for the future, it is a snapshot in time. The map helps us understand where we need to provide more financial support. Further, the map gives new and thoughtful insights into needs that must be prioritized to increase levels of health and wellness, so that everyone can benefit from clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment.
In creating the EHD map, we prioritized your voices, stories, and experiences. Our initial efforts to center your voices included listening sessions with communities across Washington. Many Washington residents shared experiences that informed the development of the map. We held follow-up sessions both in the community and through DOH Tribal relations. In 2024, a grant program awarded funds to communities and federally recognized Tribes. Tribal and community engagement staff continue to support more robust Tribal and community engagement.
If you have questions about using the map or want to share how you are using the map, contact us. We want to hear from you!
Video: How to Use the Map
We continue to add the instructional video in more languages based on your feedback. Please let us know if you would like this video in your language or a language used within your local community.
Use the EHD Map for Your Community Advocacy
The EHD Map is used to support several local, municipal, community, and government advocacy actions. Some of these are described in Environmental Justice Assessment Notices. Not all of the programs that use the EHD map have Environmental Justic Assessment Notices, so sometimes we are not aware of local and community actions informed by the map. To help us know more about how it is being used, please tell us how you use the EHD Map to inform change in Washington.
Just Like Math: Threat x Vulnerability = Risk
The EHD map is based on a formula of Risk = Threat x Vulnerability. Threat is made up of both environmental effects and exposures. Vulnerability is made up of socioeconomic factors and sensitive populations. In the image above, looking at the 19 topics (the measures for threat and vulnerability) together shows that living in areas with more threats (the green/left box) and population vulnerabilities (the blue/middle box) is related to a shorter lifespan or higher risk (the orange/right box). The threats are multiplied by socioeconomic factors and social vulnerabilities. Populations further away from the threats - in census tracts with the lowest environmental health disparities (rank 1) - on average live 5.3 years longer than those closer - in census tracts with the highest environmental health disparities (rank 10).
An Increase in Environmental Health Disparity Ranking Leads to a Shorter Life Expectancy
The more health disparities you experience, the shorter your life expectancy will be.
What’s Next: Future Steps
Through continued community and Tribal engagement, we have heard you express the need for more health indicators. In 2025, we are adding measures on waterbody (water quality) condition, wildfire smoke, pesticide exposure, community retail food environment, digital infrastructure, asthma (rate of air-related respiratory disease) and people with disabilities.
We are also working with you and others across Washington to co-create and plan for future measures based on engagement feedback for:
- Climate change
- First foods
- Opioid usage
- Tree canopy coverage
More Resources
Environmental Health Disparities Map Flyer (PDF) - Flyer also available in Spanish (PDF), Vietnamese (PDF), Russian (PDF), Simplified Chinese (PDF), Ukrainian (PDF), Chuukese (PDF)
Information about the Overlay Data Maps on the Environmental Health Disparities Map (PDF)
Environmental Health Disparities Map Version 2.0 Summary (PDF) - Summary also available in Spanish (PDF), Vietnamese (PDF), Russian (PDF), Simplified Chinese (PDF), Ukrainian (PDF), Chuukese (PDF)
Environmental Health Disparities Map Version 2.0 Technical Report (PDF)
University of Washington's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Contact Us
For information or questions related to the Washington Tracking Network, email EHDMap@doh.wa.gov.
Let Us Know How You Used the Data
We love hearing about how our data is being used to make an impact on the health of people in Washington. It also helps us to know what is meeting your needs and how we can improve the information we provide. If you use our data, please tell us about it by sending an email to EHDMap@doh.wa.gov.
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