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The area deprivation index (ADI) is a ranking of neighborhoods by socioeconomic disadvantage, built from US Census and American Community Survey (ACS) data and published through the Neighborhood Atlas. This guide gives the original 2014 formula with all 17 indicator weights, a worked score calculation, how to read national percentiles and state deciles, how to look up a score, and how to cite and compute it.
What is an area deprivation index?
An area deprivation index is a composite score that summarizes how disadvantaged a small geographic area is, using indicators such as income, education, employment and housing quality. The Neighborhood Atlas describes the ADI as a scientifically validated measure of neighborhood disadvantage, built on ACS 5-year data and ranked at the level of the census block group (source: Neighborhood Atlas, read 2026-11-08). The Atlas is hosted by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; the methodology it cites is Kind et al. (2014), which adapted a deprivation index originally constructed by Singh.
The ADI sits alongside other area-level measures. For the UK equivalent see Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD); for the CDC measure see Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). For the wider research field these measures serve, see social epidemiology.
Area deprivation index formula
In the original specification (Kind et al., 2014), 17 census indicators are computed for each block group, each is multiplied by its factor score coefficient, and the products are summed. The sum is then transformed to a standardized index by setting the mean to 100 and the standard deviation to 20, so higher scores mean more deprivation:
S = Σ (ci × xi) ADI = 100 + 20 × (S − μ) / σ
- xi: the value of indicator i for one block group (for example, percent of the population below 150% of the poverty threshold).
- ci: that indicator’s factor score coefficient, from Table 1 below.
- S: the weighted sum for the block group.
- μ and σ: the mean and standard deviation of S across all block groups in the reference set.
The paper states that all coefficients are multiplied by −1 so that a higher ADI means higher disadvantage; the signs below are the published ones (Kind et al., 2014, Table 1, read 2026-11-08). These are the original 2000-census weights. The Atlas now publishes versions updated to the v4 methodology (2024, 2020 and 2015 ADI), so treat this table as the original specification, not as the weights behind today’s rankings.
| Indicator (block group) | Coefficient |
|---|---|
| Percent aged 25 or older with fewer than 9 years of education | 0.0849 |
| Percent aged 25 or older with at least a high school diploma | −0.0970 |
| Percent of employed persons 16 or older in white-collar occupations | −0.0874 |
| Median family income | −0.0977 |
| Income disparity (log of 100 × ratio of households under $10,000 to households at $50,000 or more) | 0.0936 |
| Median home value | −0.0688 |
| Median gross rent | −0.0781 |
| Median monthly mortgage | −0.0770 |
| Percent owner-occupied housing units | −0.0615 |
| Unemployment rate (civilian labor force 16 or older) | 0.0806 |
| Percent of families below the poverty level | 0.0977 |
| Percent of population below 150% of the poverty threshold | 0.1037 |
| Percent single-parent households with children under 18 | 0.0719 |
| Percent occupied housing units without a motor vehicle | 0.0694 |
| Percent occupied housing units without a telephone | 0.0877 |
| Percent occupied housing units without complete plumbing (log) | 0.0510 |
| Percent occupied housing units with more than one person per room | 0.0556 |
Worked example of an ADI calculation
Illustrative calculation, not real data. To keep the arithmetic visible, this example uses only three of the 17 indicators with their published coefficients, and invented values for one block group and for the reference mean and standard deviation. A full calculation needs all 17 indicators and the real reference distribution.
- Percent of population below 150% of poverty: 40 × 0.1037 = 4.148
- Unemployment rate: 10 × 0.0806 = 0.806
- Percent of housing units without a vehicle: 20 × 0.0694 = 1.388
S = 4.148 + 0.806 + 1.388 = 6.342. Suppose the reference set has μ = 5.0 and σ = 1.5 (invented). Then z = (6.342 − 5.0) / 1.5 = 0.895, and ADI = 100 + 20 × 0.895 = 117.9. This block group sits about 0.9 standard deviations above the reference mean, which is more deprived than average.
What does a high ADI score mean?
A high ADI means the block group ranks as more disadvantaged than others in the comparison set; it describes the area, not any person who lives there. In the Neighborhood Atlas, rankings are presented two ways (Atlas FAQ, read 2026-11-08):
| Ranking | Scale | Compared against | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | Percentiles 1 to 100 | All block groups in the US | 1 = least disadvantaged, 100 = most disadvantaged |
| State | Deciles 1 to 10 | Block groups within one state only | 1 = least disadvantaged in that state, 10 = most |
A state decile of 10 in one state and in another therefore do not mean the same level of disadvantage nationally. In the 2014 Medicare study (255,744 discharges for heart failure, pneumonia and acute myocardial infarction), 30-day rehospitalization did not vary significantly across the least disadvantaged 85% of neighborhoods (average 21%) but rose from 22% to 27% within the most disadvantaged 15% (Kind et al., 2014).
Suppressed values and codes
The Atlas suppresses block groups with fewer than 100 people, fewer than 30 housing units, or more than 33% of the population in group quarters. Codes in the data: PH (low population or housing), GQ (group quarters), PH-GQ (both), and QDI (Questionable Data Integrity, where a source ACS value is missing).
How can I check my area deprivation index?
Use the Neighborhood Atlas: the mapping tool lets you pick a state and enter an address, with the map showing the 2024 ADI; PDF maps with a year selector and a data download (free account required) are also offered (read 2026-11-08).
Area deprivation index by zip code, map and lookup
The Atlas states that ADI values should only be measured by census block group, and that linking to ZIP codes, ZCTAs or tracts is not validated; it advises against 5-digit ZIP/ZCTA matching. It does offer a 9-digit ZIP crosswalk, with codes P (PO box), U (unique ZIP) and blank (no match). There is no formula calculator on the Atlas: you look up published ranks, or compute from the paper’s method as above.
What is the area deprivation index in Wisconsin?
The ADI is a national measure, not a Wisconsin-specific one. For Wisconsin addresses, the national percentile compares the block group with all US block groups, while the state decile compares it only with other Wisconsin block groups.
Assumptions and common mistakes
- Using ZIP or tract scores. The ADI is validated at block group only.
- Mixing national and state ranks. Percentiles (national) and deciles (state) are different scales.
- Mixing versions. The 2015, 2020 and 2024 ADI differ; report which one you used.
- Treating weights as current. The table above is the original 2014 specification.
- Ecological fallacy. An area score describes the neighborhood, not an individual's circumstances.
- Dropping suppressed rows silently. Report how PH, GQ and QDI block groups were handled.
Related measures with different geographies and domains: Opportunity Atlas, SVI and IMD. Compare their unit of analysis before substituting one for another.
How to report the area deprivation index (APA)
In text: “Neighborhood disadvantage was measured with the 2024 Area Deprivation Index, national percentile rank at the census block group (University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 2024).” The Atlas gives no recommended citation format; the format below follows APA 7th edition conventions.
Kind, A. J. H., Jencks, S., Brock, J., Yu, M., Bartels, C., Ehlenbach, W., Greenberg, C., & Smith, M. (2014). Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and 30-day rehospitalization. Annals of Internal Medicine, 161(11), 765–774. https://doi.org/10.7326/M13-2946
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. (2024). Neighborhood Atlas: Area Deprivation Index [Data set]. https://www.neighborhoodatlas.medicine.wisc.edu/
How to calculate ADI ranks in Excel, R or Python
These snippets turn a column of ADI scores (or S values) into the two Atlas-style rankings. Excel, with scores in A2:A1000, percentile rank 0 to 1 and decile 1 to 10:
=PERCENTRANK.INC($A$2:$A$1000, A2)
=MAX(1, ROUNDUP(PERCENTRANK.INC($A$2:$A$1000, A2)*10, 0))R:
adi$decile <- ceiling(rank(adi$score, ties.method = "first") / nrow(adi) * 10)
adi$pct <- ceiling(rank(adi$score, ties.method = "first") / nrow(adi) * 100)Python (pandas):
df["decile"] = pd.qcut(df["score"].rank(method="first"), 10, labels=False) + 1
df["pct"] = pd.qcut(df["score"].rank(method="first"), 100, labels=False) + 1Compute deciles within each state by grouping first (groupby("state") in pandas or R). These reproduce ranks from your own score column; they do not recreate Atlas values, which use the Atlas’s own reference sets and v4 methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What is an area deprivation index?
A composite, block-group-level ranking of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage built from income, education, employment and housing indicators in ACS data.
What does a high ADI score mean?
The neighborhood is more disadvantaged than the comparison set: nationally a percentile near 100, or within a state a decile near 10.
How is ADI different from the Social Vulnerability Index?
They are separate indices from different producers with different indicators and geographies; see the SVI guide before treating them as interchangeable.
Can I use ADI at ZIP code level?
The Atlas says it is validated only at census block group and advises against 5-digit ZIP matching, offering a 9-digit ZIP crosswalk instead.
Sources
- Kind, A. J. H., et al. (2014). Annals of Internal Medicine, 161(11), 765–774. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4251560/ (DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/M13-2946). Read 2026-11-08.
- Neighborhood Atlas, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health: home page (https://www.neighborhoodatlas.medicine.wisc.edu/) and FAQ (https://www.neighborhoodatlas.medicine.wisc.edu/faq). Read 2026-11-08.
