2 Ton Capacity

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Agalia Valcin

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Aug 3, 2024, 6:04:00 PM8/3/24

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To help identify communities with limited capacity, Headwaters Economics created a new Rural Capacity Index. The Index is based on 12 variables that can function as proxies for community capacity. The variables incorporate metrics related to four categories of capacity: local government staff and expertise, institutional capacity, economic opportunity, and education and engagement. (Read more under Data Sources and Methods below.)

Results are available for counties, county subdivisions, communities, and tribal areas in the interactive map below. The tool displays data across the urban-to-rural continuum to illustrate the variability in community capacity across the country. The inclusion of metropolitan communities is necessary to show the comparatively lower capacity that exists in most rural communities.

The Rural Capacity Index demonstrates that large portions of the United States have limited capacity. The Midwest has the most limited capacity (72% of Midwest communities, 75% of Midwest county subdivisions, and 65% of Midwest counties fall below the national median), followed by the West (58% of Western communities, 44% of Western county subdivisions, and 60% of Western counties fall below the national median). Capacity is next lowest in the Gulf Coast and Southeast, and is highest in the Northeast, followed by the Pacific Coast and Great Lakes regions.

Sorted by the percent of communities where the Rural Capacity Index is lower than the national median, the 10 states with the most limited capacity are Alaska, South Dakota, West Virginia, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Montana, Mississippi, Nebraska, and New Mexico. Summary statistics by state are available for download in the data spreadsheet.

The Rural Capacity Index can be used by communities to advocate for resources. It can also be used by federal and state agencies to more deliberately invest in communities that would otherwise be left behind. The Index can be used to target infrastructure investments, including transportation, outdoor recreation, internet access, education, and climate resilience projects. Below, we provide an example of how the Index can be paired with climate risk data to illuminate communities in need of support.

Climate-driven hazards, such as flooding and wildfire, are increasing in severity and intensity and threaten lives, livelihoods, and community stability. Where communities lack capacity and have high threat of flooding or wildfire, funding and strategies for adaptation may be more difficult to access.

Across the country, rural communities with very limited capacity face high risks from climate-driven threats. Of the 7,794 communities with very limited capacity (the lowest-ranked 25% of communities in the U.S.):

To achieve the infrastructure and climate adaptation goals in federal programs, funding agencies must consider community capacity. Programs may need to be structured differently and new strategies may need to be created to support under-served and historically disinvested communities.

While indices can be useful for identifying broad trends and patterns, they have limitations. Indices inherently combine variables, potentially obscuring the primary reasons such trends exist. To help reduce this noise, raw data is provided in the interactive map for each of the 12 variables that power the Rural Capacity Index.

Since variables for the Rural Capacity Index are based on data at the county and community scales, the Index will not account for regional- or state-level support that may be available. For example, in some parts of the country, multi-county watershed groups or state-level technical advisory organizations bolster community capacity.

This Index prioritizes rural capacity needs over metropolitan needs because metropolitan regions intrinsically have more capacity: more workers and resources. Additionally, rural places are often overlooked in the allocation of federal funding. However, this does not negate the fact that some metropolitan regions also have needs for increased capacity, which is not emphasized by this Index.

Despite these limitations, the Rural Capacity Index can help identify places where more focus is needed and deeper research can be pursued. Headwaters Economics is continually refining the Rural Capacity Map. If you would like to provide feedback or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us.

The team at Element 84 contributed knowledge and technical expertise to this project. Element 84 is a professional services firm that develops geospatial data processing pipelines and builds software that helps answer big questions about our health, our infrastructure, and our changing planet.

Patty Hernandez is co-founder and Executive Director of Headwaters Economics. Patty has 18 years of experience in researching economic development, building partnerships, and developing technology solutions to help communities plan and adapt to a changing world.

Broadband connections and digital literacy are increasingly critical to individual participation in the society, economy, and civic institutions of the United States. Broadband connections expand access to health care and essential services, education, and jobs. High-speed Internet access is not a luxury, but a necessity, for all people of the United States, regardless of their age, race, or income, irrespective of where they live, what languages they speak, what resources they have at their disposal, their disability status, and what specific challenges they may face in their daily lives. This State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will make funds available to begin implementation of State and U.S. Territory Digital Equity Plans developed pursuant to the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program.

In addition, this NOFO establishes a competitive process to make both State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program funds and State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funds available to native entities to carry out digital equity and inclusion activities consistent with the Digital Equity Act. These proposed projects must include measurable objectives and evaluation criteria as part of their program design and will likewise address barriers to digital equity and promote the availability and affordability of access to broadband technology, online accessibility and inclusivity of public resources and services, digital literacy, awareness of online privacy and cybersecurity, and the availability and affordability of consumer devices and technical support for those devices.

The purpose of the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program is to create the conditions where individuals and communities have the information technology capacity that is needed for full participation in the society and economy of the United States.

Grantee Support: Grants.gov provides 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and via email. For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, contact the number listed in the application package of the grant you are applying for.

Voices of Lived Experience in Child Welfare: A Digital Story Library
Listen to the stories of families, young adults, caregivers, agency leaders and staff, service providers, and legal partners affected by the child welfare system.

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Click on any of our highlighted topics below to explore resources that can help agencies identify and implement strategies designed to achieve safety, permanency, and well-being for children, youth, and families.

Organized by State within the 10 Federal Regions, each liaison serves as a single point of contact for all capacity building activities within their Center. Use the map on the page to find the contact information for your State liaison.

About the Center for Courts
Improving child safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for families by ensuring that courts work in partnership with child welfare agencies to best serve children and families.

The Center for Courts designs products to increase awareness, understanding, and engagement among a broad audience of legal and judicial professionals across the country, to enhance knowledge, skills, and relationships among groups of professionals and peer groups, and to help individual jurisdictions assess their needs, develop the capacities necessary to improve their performance, and achieve outcomes for children and families.

The Center for Courts designs products, services, and learning experiences to increase awareness, understanding, and engagement among a broad audience of legal and judicial professionals across the country.

The Center for Courts designs products, services, and learning experiences to increase understanding and awareness, and build knowledge and skills. The Center focuses its attention on developing products and resources on several core organizational and practice topics.

The CWVE is an annual one-day event that brings together child welfare professionals from federal, state, and local organizations across the country to engage in online activities, discussions, and skill building activities that provide information, explore strategies, and offer innovative ideas and action steps to support child welfare agencies.

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NIFA provides support for research and extension activities at land-grant institutions through grants to the states on the basis of statutory formulas. Eligibility is limited to the cooperating institutions, most of which are 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant institutions. NIFA capacity grants are subject to the same OMB Circulars and Department regulations, with the exceptions identified in the NIFA Regulations.