{"id":5812,"date":"2025-12-02T01:14:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T01:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/?page_id=5812"},"modified":"2025-12-02T01:38:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T01:38:55","slug":"food-insecurity-in-nct","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/dashboards\/food-insecurity-in-nct\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Insecurity in NCT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Food Insecurity Dashboard \u2014 Detailed Summary &amp; Demographic Insights<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Food Insecurity Dashboard visualizes food insecurity rates across&nbsp;<strong>24 counties in North Central Texas<\/strong>. It integrates geospatial mapping, ranked bar charts, and multi-year trend analysis.<br>This dashboard allows users to understand&nbsp;<strong>where food insecurity is highest<\/strong>, how counties compare with one another, and how the overall burden has shifted over time from&nbsp;<strong>2014\u20132024<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The design includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Interactive County Map<\/strong>&nbsp;(Primary filter)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>County-level Comparison Bar Chart<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food Insecurity Trend Line (2014\u20132024)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Year Selection Filter Panel<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Each visual updates dynamically when a user selects a county on the map or chooses a specific year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Dashboard Components &amp; Interactivity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A. Interactive County Map<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Displays food insecurity rates (%) for each of the 24 counties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Color-coded by severity (darker shades = higher insecurity).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Primary Filter:<\/strong>&nbsp;Clicking any county filters both the bar chart and the trend chart to show data only for that county.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Helps users quickly identify&nbsp;<em>geographic disparities<\/em>&nbsp;across the region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Observations from the Map:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Highest food insecurity counties (based on values shown):\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Navarro \u2013 20.2%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Erath \u2013 20.1%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hunt \u2013 20.4%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dallas \u2013 19.6%<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lowest food insecurity counties:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Collin \u2013 16.7%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rockwall \u2013 14.3%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Somervell \u2013 15.7%<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>B. Bar Chart \u2013 County Comparison<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shows each county side-by-side for clearer comparison.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Represented in ascending order from lowest to highest food insecurity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Automatically updates based on the selected year OR selected county.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Insights:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The region shows&nbsp;<strong>significant variation<\/strong>, from ~14% to ~20%.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Urban counties like&nbsp;<strong>Dallas<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Tarrant<\/strong>&nbsp;remain moderately high.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rural counties such as&nbsp;<strong>Erath, Hunt, Navarro<\/strong>&nbsp;exhibit disproportionally high food insecurity rates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>C. Trend Line Graph (2014\u20132024)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This line graph visualizes&nbsp;<strong>year-over-year change in total regional food insecurity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Trend Observations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>2014:<\/strong>&nbsp;379.8<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2016 (Peak):<\/strong>&nbsp;424.9<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Declining years:<\/strong>&nbsp;After 2016, a consistent decline<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2020:<\/strong>&nbsp;374.5<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2024:<\/strong>&nbsp;Lowest at&nbsp;<strong>317.1<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Interpretation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The region experienced a&nbsp;<strong>peak in food insecurity around 2015\u20132016<\/strong>, likely reflecting post-recession effects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A&nbsp;<strong>steady improvement<\/strong>&nbsp;is seen from 2017 onward.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continued decline through 2024 shows overall regional economic and social stabilization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>D. Year Selection Filter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Allows users to explore a specific year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When a year is clicked:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The map and bar chart reflect the county-level data for that selected year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The trend chart highlights that year for context.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Demographic &amp; Socioeconomic Interpretation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the dashboard shows percentages, the underlying demographic interpretation is essential for understanding&nbsp;<em>why<\/em>&nbsp;these variations occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A. Rural vs Urban Patterns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rural counties (Erath, Hunt, Comanche, Navarro)<\/strong>&nbsp;tend to have:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Higher poverty rates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limited access to grocery stores<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fewer social support programs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Higher transportation barriers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These factors correlate strongly with higher food insecurity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urban counties (Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton)<\/strong>&nbsp;show:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More community resources<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Greater economic opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Yet urban pockets within these counties still face high insecurity (food deserts, low-income clusters)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>B. Income, Poverty &amp; Employment Correlations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Food insecurity is closely tied to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Median Household Income<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deep Poverty Levels<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unemployment or underemployment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access to social services<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Counties like&nbsp;<strong>Rockwall, Collin, and Denton<\/strong>&nbsp;that have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Higher income<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Higher employment levels<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stronger infrastructure<br>\u2026show significantly lower food insecurity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>C. Population Growth &amp; Urbanization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rapid urban growth in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Collin,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Denton,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tarrant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026has expanded job markets and improved food access, lowering insecurity over the past decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast,&nbsp;<strong>rural counties<\/strong>&nbsp;with stagnant or declining populations show persistent vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Key Insights &amp; Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Overall food insecurity is declining across the region&nbsp;(317.1 in 2024).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Certain counties remain consistently high, especially:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Navarro<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Erath<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hunt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dallas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Strong rural-urban divide<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rural counties face:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Infrastructure challenges<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limited food access<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lower wages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Urban counties benefit from more robust support systems but still contain vulnerable areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Map serves as your primary analytic filter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Selecting a county instantly filters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>County-specific performance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trend over time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Annual comparisons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes the dashboard ideal for&nbsp;<strong>policy, planning, and targeted interventions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1764637905051' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Food insecurity ' src='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;Fo&#47;Foodinsecurity_17640319848590&#47;Foodinsecurity&#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' \/><\/a><\/noscript><object class='tableauViz'  style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' \/> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' \/> <param name='site_root' value='' \/><param name='name' value='Foodinsecurity_17640319848590&#47;Foodinsecurity' \/><param name='tabs' value='no' \/><param name='toolbar' value='yes' \/><param name='static_image' value='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;Fo&#47;Foodinsecurity_17640319848590&#47;Foodinsecurity&#47;1.png' \/> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' \/><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' \/><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' \/><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' \/><param name='display_count' value='yes' \/><param name='language' value='en-US' \/><\/object><\/div>                <script type='text\/javascript'>                    var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1764637905051');                    var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0];                    if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='1027px';}                     var scriptElement = document.createElement('script');                    scriptElement.src = 'https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/javascripts\/api\/viz_v1.js';                    vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement);                <\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Food Insecurity Dashboard \u2014 Detailed Summary &amp; Demographic Insights 1. Overview The Food Insecurity Dashboard visualizes food insecurity rates across&nbsp;24 counties in North Central Texas. It integrates geospatial mapping, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":689,"featured_media":0,"parent":3625,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5812","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/author\/bkurdle\/","display_name":"Webmaster"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 4 months ago","modified":"Updated 4 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on December 2, 2025","modified":"Updated on December 2, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on December 2, 2025 1:14 am","modified":"Updated on December 2, 2025 1:38 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/689"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5812"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5823,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5812\/revisions\/5823"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}