EXPLORE
TOOL

1. To navigate or adjust the view

In the upper-left corner of the map, a toolbar has useful icons. Selecting the right arrow expands for more options , where you can select to pan around the map choose to pan, or select by shape. On this toolbar there are also +/- icons for zooming, or you can  zoom manually with your mouse or trackpad.  Click the push‑pin icon to zoom to your selection or if you need to reset.

2. Select location(s)

As you mouse over the map, you’ll see a tooltip summarizing the characteristics of the low-income households in each county, including numbers and percentages of different household characteristics, including energy burden, and energy affordability gap (EAG).  See the data dictionary for formal definitions of terms used in the tool.

• County: Click directly on the map to see Census Tracts for that county

• Multi‑select: Click the arrow icon in the toolbar, choose Lasso , and draw around several counties.

• State: Tick one or more state checkbox(es), then click “Explore Selected”

• Reset: Click once anywhere outside the highlighted area to clear all selections, and/or select All on the state/territory list.

• RETURN to the landing page using the BACK button (lower right) if needed.

3 . Explore the Data
After you select a geography, the dashboard loads an interactive table plus four analysis tabs:

• - Main Table

  Sort counties by any energy‑affordability metric.

• - Energy Burden by Income

  Compare housing characteristics (owned vs. rented, pre‑/post‑1980, single‑family, multifamily, mobile) within each income band.

• - Social Vulnerability

  See how energy‑affordability metrics align with Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) scores—focus on seniors, children, housing‑cost burden, disability, limited English, and no‑vehicle households.

• - Housing Filters

  Use quick buttons to filter by housing type or jump straight to the highest‑burdened cohort.

• - Census Tract View

  Drill down to a single tract for neighborhood‑level insight.