Demographics

Overview

Projects can result in the relocation of families and individuals, the removal or alteration of important services, facilities, or activity centers, and otherwise affect the lives of individuals and groups. In reviewing a proposed transportation project, it is important to consider its potential effects on various population groups. Some impacts will have an equal effect on all parts of the population at large while some may affect some distinct groups more than others. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has identified the following priority groups through the FHWA Title VI Program and the FHWA Technical Advisory T6640.8A of October 30, 1987:

  1. Elderly
  2. Disabled
  3. Non-Drivers
  4. Transit Dependent
  5. Minorities, whether through race, color, or national origin
  6. Those with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

Implicit in this listing is also the inclusion of low-income residents as identified by the State of Wisconsin through Executive Order 161 (2022).

The consideration of demographics reinforces and builds upon Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended and other anti-discriminatory laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Act. Moreover, identifying populations with unique coordination needs helps to ensure that all groups are meaningfully involved in the decision-making process.

WisDOT’s actions and decisions are guided by three fundamental principles, which are:

  • To avoid, minimize or compensate for adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects.
  • To ensure the full and fair participation by all potentially affected communities in the transportation decision-making process.
  • To prevent the denial of, reduction of, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by affected populations.

The tools and guidance provided below are for the purpose of facilitating demographic analyses and documentation at the project level. They are consistent with the environmental evaluation and documentation process required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 for any transportation project.


Legal Requirements

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
FHWA - Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Act of 1970 as amended
Americans with Disabilities Act (see chapters 4 and 10)
Wisconsin Executive Order 161
Section 162(a) of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973 (23 USC 324)


FDM References

FDM Chapter 6 public involvement
FDM 25-1-1 socio-economic factors
FDM 25-5-1 impact categories
FDM 25-5-5 impacts on neighborhood and community cohesion
FDM 25-5-30 relocation impacts
FDM 25-10-1 impact identification and resource identification
FDM 25-10-5 development of a community profile
FDM 25-15-1 impact evaluation (use of a community profile)
FDM 25-15-5 adaptation of the community profile to screening worksheets
FDM 25-20-1 impact mitigation


Data Tools and Supplemental Guidance

Refer to the forms and tools page for the most recent Demographics Factor Sheet and Guidance

Demographics guiding question matrix - Demographics is an interdisciplinary factor, meaning it crosses over into the impact considerations for other factors such as wetlands, waterways, traffic noise, air quality, and Section 4(f), among others. This Guiding Questions Matrix is designed to help a reviewer walk through the human environment consideration of the other factor areas to better inform the WEPA or NEPA analysis.

Many open-source tools are available online to identify demographic groups that may be living in, around, or utilizing a project area. WisDOT is not prescriptive of which tool is utilized, below is a list of potential options; this list is not comprehensive.

  • EDA-Census Poverty Status Viewer & 2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer are both maintained by the US Census Bureau and display data at the census tract level. US Census Bureau also has the Census Bureau Maps webpage which allows for visualization of over 5,000 different data fields.
  • Wisconsin Department of Health Services' Environmental Justice Index tool displays demographic data and socioeconomic status at the census tract level and allows the reviewer to see socioeconomic and demographic indicators in the project area side by side.
  • The State Cartographer's Office has a geodatabase developed which contains demographic data at the census block group level. It includes some demographic indicators but may be lacking on the more robust socioeconomic status indicators WisDOT tends to consider during project scoping.
  • Wisconsin Department of Administration and UW-Madison have the GetFacts Project which allows for analysis of demographic data at the state, county, and county subdivision level.
  • Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has School & District Report Cards which provide an in-depth look into the demographics of specific schools or the school districts near the project corridor. Since this is only focused on school enrollment, these reports are not representative of everyone in the project area.
  • US EPA's Demographics Proximity Tool can be used in areas with a variety of EPA-registered sites along the project corridor. Having a number of facilities present is the only way to get representative information since a large circular radius around one facility may not accurately reflect the demographics of a linear transportation corridor.

Reconnaissance survey - While the data tools highlighted above can help provide an overview of who is living in and around a proposed transportation improvement project as recorded by the US Census or the Census Bureau's American Communities Survey, a reconnaissance survey is another important step to identifying populations who may be living in or frequently utilizing the project area. Reconnaissance surveys (also frequently referred to as "windshield surveys") help to identify facilities and services in a project area, as well as individuals who would not be captured by a census, such as those without permanent housing. Feedback received from public involvement activities and coordination with local officials should also be considered when identifying populations, facilities, and services.

Examples of facilities or services may include:

  • Food banks/pantries (including religious institutions that may offer these to the public)
  • Homeless shelters and resource centers
  • Clinics
  • Civil rights organizations
  • Section 8 housing or other public housing
  • Transit facilities (including bus stops and routes, tram stops, taxi stands, etc.)
  • Grocery and convenience stores
  • And many others

Project plans can then be reviewed to help identify anticipated relocations of residences or businesses, substantial permanent acquisitions, restriction of access to facilities or services, impacts to natural food sources (such as wild rice), among other impacts that may occur.

If a substantial permanent acquisition or relocation may occur, WisDOT has developed a relocation questionnaire and template letter to send out to those property owners or tenants who may potentially be affected. The intent of this questionnaire is to collect demographic data from specific households or businesses to inform NEPA or WEPA analysis. These are available on the WisDOT Forms and Tools webpage and a supplemental Relocation Questionnaire Guidance Document is also available.


FHWA Guidebooks and Information