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There are a number of data sources you can use to collect information for your community assessment. The Community Needs Assessment should utilize a variety of quantitative and qualitative data for its findings. As a reminder:
- Quantitative data is statistical or numerical data and is gathered to reflect the scope of the needs in the community. Quantitative data should be relevant to the community assessment and connected to the identified community. It is important to include national data, local data, and data from the CAA’s own services within the CNA report.
- Qualitative data is descriptive or narrative data, often opinions or observations that help provide insight into the depth and breadth of an issue. Qualitative information can be gathered in a variety of ways such as through surveys, interviews, community meetings, or focus groups. Qualitative data must be presented and reported using the actual words of respondents. If qualitative data is summarized (i.e. “X number of people said that rent for apartments is too high.”), then it actually quantitative data.
The table below lists several quantitative and qualitative data sources. Note that additional data sources may be applicable for each agency’s individual community assessment needs.
| Data Sources | Information/Rates |
|---|---|
| Census: American Community Survey (ACS) and/or Small Area Income & Poverty | Population, poverty, age gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, Estimates (SAIPE), seniors, households, family types |
| US Department of Labor | Employment, unemployment, underemployment, household income |
| National Center for Education Statistics | Adult literacy, educational attainment |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | Homeownership |
| US Department of Health and Human Services | Federally qualified health centers, Medicaid and Medicare providers |
| National Low Income Housing Coalition | Housing burden |
| Local Surveys | The number of people who responded about a certain item |
| CSBG Annual Report /Agency Program Data | Client demographics (who the Subrecipient serves), outcomes obtained and services utilized (and what types of services they received) |
| Community Action Partnership Hub’s Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment (CNA) tool | https://cap.engagementnetwork.org/ |
| U.S. Census Data | Census.gov |
| State Departments | Collected from state departments such as health, education, and criminal justice help to clarify and expand on national report numbers. |
| Local Data | Nearby municipalities or counties.
Smaller geographic areas such as a neighborhoods or census tract Local crime statistics School district high school graduation School district school readiness Employers and employment opportunities Child care providers Public benefits usage (SNAP, TANF, etc.) Input directly collected from low-income people |
| Community Action Agency Data |
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