Domain Dashboards

What Are Domain Dashboards?

Domain dashboards are where Track gets detailed. Each dashboard gives you the full set of indicators for one livability domain — with trend charts, benchmark comparisons, goals, predictions, and AI-powered insight prompts — all organized into subdomain groupings for easier navigation.

If the Community Livability Snapshot and Overview Dashboard tell you where to look, domain dashboards tell you what's actually happening there.

How to Access Domain Dashboards

Navigate to Track Data → Data Dashboards in the left-hand admin navigation. At the top of the page, a Dashboard dropdown lets you select which domain to view. The same three global filters apply across all domain dashboards:

• Show Data For — Your community or a configured comparison group
• Data to Display — GPAL or GPAL for Older Adults
• Compare Data Against Communities — Nationwide, Similar Population Size Nationwide, My State, or Similar Population Size in My State

Anatomy of a Domain Dashboard

Every domain dashboard follows the same structure:

1. Domain Index Score

The headline number — a 0–100 benchmarked composite score for the domain. It's the average of the percentile scores for all included indicators. The score appears alongside a histogram showing where your community sits within the selected benchmark distribution.

• A "Plan for [Domain]" AI button opens Polly with strategic context for that domain
• A "Score last updated [date]" timestamp shows data freshness
• A three-dot menu (⋮) next to the score may offer additional options
• A note states "Some indicators are not included in the index score calculation" with a "More Information" link explaining which indicators are excluded and why

2. Data Collection Banner

A dismissable green banner appears on some domain dashboards: "Dig deeper into community sentiment — use specialized Polco Library content to post surveys to gather additional [Domain]-related insights from community members." It includes a Polco Library button linking directly to relevant survey templates for that domain. Click Dismiss to close it.

3. Community Statistics

The main body of each domain dashboard. All indicators are listed here with their current values, benchmark context, trend data, and AI insight prompts.

Subdomain tabs across the top of this section filter indicators by category. For example, Parks & Recreation has tabs for All Subdomains, Wellness, Path and Trails, and Parks. The number in the tab badge shows how many indicators are in that category.

Controls above the indicator list:

• Sort by — Default, or reorder by value, change, benchmark status, etc.
• Data Source — Filter by specific source within the domain
• Reset — Clear applied filters
• Show Predictions (Off/On) — Overlay GPAL's forward-looking trend projections on expanded indicator charts
• Show Goals (Off/On) — Show any goals your organization has set as reference lines on charts

4. Individual Indicator Cards

Each indicator appears as a card with:

Benchmark comparison label — A colored badge showing where your community stands relative to the benchmark:

• More favorable than benchmark — Your community performs better than peers
• Similar to benchmark — Performance is within the typical range
• Less favorable than benchmark — Your community performs below peers

Polly AI insight button — A question formatted as a prompt (e.g., "Why Does the Percentage of Residents Living Within a Half Mile of a Park Matter?"). Clicking it opens a Polly session with that question pre-loaded.

Current value — The most recent data point, displayed prominently in large blue text

Change delta — The change from the prior period, shown with a + or – sign

Data source and date — The specific source and vintage of the data (e.g., "Data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps in 2023")

Three-dot menu (⋮) — Expands to reveal three options:

• Save as Image — Download the expanded chart as an image
• Save Data Point — Bookmark this indicator to Saved Data Points
• Add/Edit Goal — Set a target value for this indicator

Expand arrow (∨) — Opens the full trend chart for that indicator, showing historical data with optional goals and predictions overlaid

Show Fewer / Show More Community Statistics Data Points — A toggle at the bottom of the indicator list that collapses or expands the full set of indicators in the domain.

The 11 Livability Domains

Economy

What it covers: The Economy domain evaluates financial health, labor market performance, business environment, income distribution, and economic equity within a community. It measures both the strength and fairness of economic opportunity.

Subdomains: Business Vitality, Income, Employment

Key indicators:

• Monthly unemployment rate (BLS)
• Annual job growth (BLS)
• Jobs per working-age resident
• Percent of workers working from home (ACS)
• Median annual household income (ACS)
• Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (BEA)
• Gini income equality coefficient (ACS)
• Ratio of women's to men's median earnings
• Ratio of BIPOC persons' poverty rate to white persons' poverty rate
• Number of businesses (Census County Business Patterns)
• Residents in poverty (ACS)
• Children in poverty (ACS)
• Children eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch
• SSI recipients (Social Security Research)
• Affordability of child care expenses (County Health Rankings)
• BRIC economic/financial subindex (Baseline Resilience Indicators)

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall economic health, economic development, shopping opportunities, cost of living, variety of business and service establishments

Primary data sources: BLS, ACS, BEA, Census County Business Patterns, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, Social Security Research, BRIC

Common use cases: Strategic economic development planning, workforce investment, equity gap analysis, grant applications for economic programs, budget prioritization for business support services

Safety

What it covers: The Safety domain evaluates public security from crime, fire, and natural hazards. It includes both traditional crime metrics and emergency service capacity, as well as community resilience to natural disaster risks.

Subdomains: Crime, Fire and Emergency Response, Natural Hazard Risk

Key indicators:

• Violent crime rate per 100,000 residents (FBI UCR)
• Property crime rate per 100,000 residents (FBI UCR)
• Fire incident rate (FEMA / NFIRS)
• Emergency response time
• Wildfire hazard risk score (FEMA National Risk Index)
• Flood hazard risk score
• Tornado and earthquake risk scores
• Residential fire safety indicators

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall feeling of safety, police and fire services, ambulance or emergency medical services, crime prevention, emergency preparedness

Primary data sources: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), FEMA National Risk Index, NFIRS, local emergency services data

Common use cases: Public safety planning and resource allocation, emergency preparedness assessment, law enforcement strategy, grant applications for public safety programs, council communications on crime trends

Housing & Community Design

What it covers: This domain evaluates housing affordability and availability, land use quality, neighborhood design, and built environment resilience. It reflects how well the community supports accessible, well-planned, and sustainable housing for all residents.

Subdomains: Affordability, Housing Stock, Built Environment, Homelessness

Key indicators:

• Total population growth rate (Census)
• Housing cost burden for renters (ACS) — percent paying more than 30% of income on housing
• Fair Market Rent (FMR) for 2-bedroom (HUD)
• Homeownership rate (ACS)
• Vacancy rate (ACS)
• Overcrowded housing units (ACS)
• Number of homeless individuals (HUD Point in Time)
• Percent of homeless persons in family households
• Percent of low-income residents without access to a grocery store (USDA Food Access)
• Compact neighborhood score / walkability (Walk Score / GPAL)
• Job access score
• BRIC infrastructure/housing subindex

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall design of residential and commercial areas, well-planned residential and commercial growth, availability of affordable quality housing, land use planning and zoning

Primary data sources: ACS, HUD, USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Walk Score, BRIC

Common use cases: Affordable housing planning and LIHTC applications, zoning and land use strategy, homelessness response planning, neighborhood investment decisions, food access gap analysis, grant applications for HUD programs

Health & Wellness

What it covers: This domain evaluates physical and mental health outcomes, access to care, preventive health behaviors, chronic conditions, and food security. It reflects both the population's health status and the community's capacity to support well-being.

Subdomains: Health Outcomes, Access to Care, Behaviors and Risk Factors

Key indicators:

• Life expectancy (CDC / State Vital Records)
• Chronic disease prevalence — diabetes, heart disease (CDC PLACES)
• Obesity rate among adults (CDC PLACES / BRFSS)
• Smoking rate (CDC PLACES / BRFSS)
• Binge drinking prevalence (CDC PLACES / BRFSS)
• Adult residents with less than good physical health (CDC PLACES)
• Adult residents with less than good mental health (CDC PLACES)
• Preventive care rates (CDC PLACES)
• Health insurance coverage rates
• Food insecurity rates (Map the Meal Gap)
• Access to primary care providers

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall health and wellness opportunities, overall health services, availability of affordable quality food, availability of affordable quality health care, availability of preventive health services

Primary data sources: CDC PLACES, CDC BRFSS, Map the Meal Gap, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, State Vital Records

Common use cases: Public health program planning, chronic disease intervention strategy, mental health resource allocation, food insecurity response, grant applications for health initiatives, council reporting on population health trends

Mobility

What it covers: The Mobility domain evaluates how easily and safely residents can move around the community. It covers commute patterns, transportation options, walkability, transit access, and road safety.

Subdomains: Commute and Access, Road Safety, Transit and Alternatives

Key indicators:

• Average travel time to work (ACS)
• Monthly unemployment rate as labor market context (BLS)
• Walkability index score (EPA Walkability Index)
• Percent of workers driving alone (ACS)
• Percent of workers carpooling (ACS)
• Percent using public transit (ACS)
• Percent walking or biking to work (ACS)
• Percent working from home (ACS)
• Households without a motor vehicle (ACS)
• Fatal motor vehicle crashes per 100,000 (NHTSA)
• Fatal crashes involving cyclists or pedestrians (NHTSA)
• Traffic volume / Average Daily Traffic (DOT)

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall quality of the transportation system, ease of public parking, ease of travel by public transit, street repair, sidewalk maintenance

Primary data sources: ACS, EPA Walkability Index, NHTSA, DOT, local traffic data, MPOs

Common use cases: Transportation planning and infrastructure investment, multimodal strategy development, traffic safety analysis, climate and emissions planning, transit funding grant applications, smart growth and land use integration

Education, Arts & Culture

What it covers: This domain measures educational attainment, school system performance, access to cultural and arts opportunities, and community engagement with learning resources including libraries.

Subdomains: Educational Attainment, K–12 Performance, Arts and Culture Access

Key indicators:

• Percent of adults with a high school degree (ACS)
• Percent of adults with a bachelor's degree (ACS)
• Total K–12 enrollment (State Education Departments)
• Student-teacher ratio (State Education Departments / DOE EDFacts)
• High school graduation rate (DOE EDFacts)
• State assessment proficiency in math and reading (DOE EDFacts)
• Library visits per capita (IMLS Public Libraries Survey)
• Library circulation rate (IMLS)
• Children eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch (as educational equity proxy)

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall opportunities for education, culture, and the arts; community support for the arts; K–12 education; adult educational opportunities; opportunities to attend cultural, arts, and music activities

Primary data sources: ACS, DOE EDFacts, State Education Departments, IMLS Public Libraries Survey

Common use cases: Education system planning, workforce development strategy, arts and cultural programming, school equity and achievement gap monitoring, grant applications for education and library programs, public reporting on educational outcomes

Natural Environment

What it covers: The Natural Environment domain measures air quality, land use patterns, natural disaster vulnerability, flood risk, ecological health, and climate resilience. It provides essential data for sustainability planning and environmental stewardship.

Subdomains: Air Quality, Land Cover, Flood and Disaster Risk, Ecological Health

Key indicators:

• Air Quality Index — average daily PM2.5 density (EPA)
• Percent tree cover (NLCD)
• Percent wetlands (USFWS / NLCD)
• Percent cropland and pasture (USDA NASS)
• Percent open water (NLCD / USGS)
• Percent developed land (NLCD)
• Percent barren land (NLCD)
• Square meters in 100-year flood zone (FEMA Flood Maps)
• Wildfire, flood, tornado, earthquake risk scores (FEMA National Risk Index)
• BRIC environmental/natural subindex
• CMRA climate resilience indicators

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall quality of the natural environment, water resources, preservation of natural areas, recycling, yard waste pickup

Primary data sources: EPA, FEMA, NLCD (National Land Cover Database), USGS, USFWS, USDA, BRIC, CMRA

Common use cases: Sustainability and climate action planning, zoning and land use strategy, environmental resilience and risk management, public health and air quality strategy, natural resource protection, environmental justice initiatives, grant applications for environmental programs

Parks & Recreation

What it covers: The Parks & Recreation domain evaluates community access to green space, physical activity opportunities, recreational facilities, and trail systems. It connects physical and mental health outcomes to infrastructure investment decisions.

Subdomains: Wellness, Path and Trails, Parks

Key indicators:

• Live within a half mile of a park — percent of population (County Health Rankings)
• Access to exercise opportunities — percent of adults (County Health Rankings)
• Length of trail segments per capita — miles per capita (USGS National Digital Trails)
• Total length of trail segments — miles (USGS)
• Lack of leisure-time physical activity among adult residents (CDC PLACES)
• Adult residents with less than good physical health (CDC PLACES)
• Obesity among adult residents (CDC PLACES)
• Adult residents with less than good mental health (CDC PLACES)

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall quality of parks and recreation opportunities, availability of walking paths and trails, recreation programs or classes, recreation centers or facilities

Primary data sources: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, CDC PLACES, USGS National Digital Trails, Trust for Public Land, local GIS

Common use cases: Park planning and equity audits, obesity and physical activity interventions, mental health strategy, transportation and walkability coordination, grant applications for trails and greenspace, community engagement and placemaking

Utilities

What it covers: The Utilities domain evaluates the quality and reliability of essential services including water, electricity, internet access, and waste management. It reflects both infrastructure quality and equitable access across the community.

Subdomains: Water and Wastewater, Energy and Power, Internet and Digital Access, Waste Management

Key indicators:

• Total drinking water violations (EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System)
• Households with high-speed internet access — percent (FCC / ACS)
• Power outage frequency and duration
• Broadband availability and speed metrics (FCC)
• Water quality metrics
• Wastewater system performance

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall quality of utility infrastructure, availability of affordable high-speed internet access, sewer services, storm water management, garbage collection

Primary data sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System, FCC, Open Energy Data Initiative, ACS, local utility reporting

Common use cases: Infrastructure investment planning, broadband expansion strategy, water quality monitoring and compliance, emergency preparedness for utility outages, grant applications for utility and broadband programs, public transparency on service quality

Finance

What it covers: The Finance domain provides a comprehensive view of local government fiscal health. It tracks revenues, expenditures, debt obligations, and major budget categories — helping leaders assess financial sustainability and ensure transparency.

Subdomains: Revenue, Expenditures, Debt

Key indicators:

• Total revenue (Government Finance Database, Willamette)
• Total taxes collected
• General sales tax revenue
• Property tax revenue
• Utility revenue
• Intergovernmental revenue
• Total expenditures
• Operating expenditures
• Fire protection expenditures
• Police protection expenditures
• Parks and recreation expenditures
• Health and hospital expenditures
• Total debt outstanding
• Long-term debt per capita

NCS resident sentiment questions: Overall confidence in local government, overall customer service, public information services (via Governance domain)

Primary data sources: Government Finance Database (Willamette)

Common use cases: Budget planning and fiscal monitoring, debt management strategy, grant matching and leverage analysis, departmental performance review, revenue diversification planning, council reporting on fiscal health, transparency communications with residents

Community Connection

What it covers: The Community Connection domain measures civic participation, social cohesion, demographic diversity, and community representation. It reflects how well residents are engaged and included in the life of their community.

Subdomains: Civic Participation, Diversity and Representation, Social Cohesion

Key indicators:

• Voter registration rate (Census Voting and Registration Supplement)
• Voter turnout in elections (Volunteering and Civic Life Supplement)
• Volunteering rate — percent of residents who volunteer (Volunteering and Civic Life Supplement)
• Civic engagement and civic life participation
• Racial and ethnic population composition (ACS)
• Racial segregation index (ACS)
• Racial segregation — White/Black subindex
• Veteran population share (ACS)
• Disability status share (ACS)
• Language access indicators
• Poverty and income equity indicators
• BRIC social resilience subindex

NCS resident sentiment questions: Connection and engagement with their community, sense of community, attracting people from a diverse background, taking care of vulnerable residents, sense of civic and community pride

Primary data sources: ACS, Volunteering and Civic Life Supplement, Census Voting and Registration Supplement, BRIC

Common use cases: DEI strategy and outreach, civic engagement campaigns, digital and language access planning, veteran and disability services alignment, community resilience planning, equity monitoring and reporting, grant applications for equity and civic capacity building 

Working Across Domains

Domain dashboards are most powerful when used in combination. Common cross-domain pairings:

Safety + Community Connection — Crime data combined with civic engagement and segregation metrics helps identify whether safety challenges are concentrated in specific demographic groups or neighborhoods.

Economy + Housing — Unemployment and income data alongside housing cost burden reveals whether economic conditions are driving housing stress — a common precursor to homelessness.

Mobility + Natural Environment — Commute mode data alongside land cover and emissions metrics supports climate action planning and sustainable transportation strategy.

Parks & Recreation + Health & Wellness — Physical activity rates, obesity, and park access are deeply interconnected. Improving park proximity often directly improves health outcomes.

Education + Economy — Educational attainment rates and workforce availability together reveal pipeline gaps for economic development and workforce training investment.

Finance + any domain — Finance data provides the fiscal context for understanding whether investment in any other domain is feasible and sustainable.

Polly can help connect dots across domains — ask it to analyze multiple domains together for a comprehensive community picture.

Related Articles

• Introduction to Track
• Community Livability Snapshot
• Overview dashboards
• Comparison groups and peer benchmarking
• Filtering data in Track
• Saved data points
• Data sources and update frequency