WADOHThis data is included as part of the Environmental Health Disparities Version 3.0 map. To see this map, visit our webpage . For more technical information on this map and the model used, visit our technical report (link) . Background Racial discrimination leads to differences in exposure to environmental hazards and air pollution. Historically minoritized communities of color and ethnic minorities are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. This is true regardless of income. Potentially harmful sites are more likely to be built in communities of color. These include places like superfund sites, hazardous waste sites, landfills, and factories. People living near these places can be exposed to harmful things like toxic waste and pollution. Minoritized communities are also exposed to more air pollution, lead, and climate change impacts. More exposure leads to more health impacts for people in those communities. Racism also affects things like access to healthy food, financial security, housing, and health care. These can directly and indirectly affect the health impacts of exposure to pollution. Children and women of color are especially at risk for health problems caused by pollution. These risks include negative birth outcomes, heart and lung diseases, and more hospitalizations due to chronic health conditions. Evidence Racial and ethnic groups are unequally affected by environmental risk factors. Historically minoritized communities are more likely to be exposed to air pollution [1]. Water systems serving Latino communities are more likely to have high nitrate levels in drinking water [2]. Superfund sites and other hazardous sites are more likely to be built near communities of color [3]. Black communities have higher death rates after exposure to increased ozone levels [4]. Black and American Indian/Alaska Native adults are more likely to have asthma. This is made worse by air pollution [5]. Data source 2022 population estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management Methods The data we used come from the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM). OFM uses mathematical models of births, deaths, and migration to make demographic estimates. They base these models on numbers obtained from the Census Bureau. OFM calls its numbers "estimates" because they are not an actual count of people. We added together the OFM estimates for all race/ethnicity categories EXCEPT White and Non-Hispanic. This includes: Black. American Indian/Alaskan Native. Asian. Native Hawaiian-Other Pacific Islander. Two or more races. The ethnicity grouping of "Spanish/Hispanic/Latino". We then calculated the percentage of people of color by dividing by the estimated total population. Sources Kravitz-Wirtz, N., Crowder, K., Hajat, A., & Sass, V. (2016). The long-term dynamics of racial/ethnic inequality in neighborhood air pollution exposure, 1990-2009. Du Bois Review, 13(2), 237-59. Schaider , L.A., Swetschinski , L., Campbell, C. et al. (2019). Environmental justice and drinking water quality: are there socioeconomic disparities in nitrate levels in U.S. drinking water? Environ Health, 18, 3. Pollock, P., & Vittas, M. (1995). Who bears the burdens of environmental pollution? Race, ethnicity, and environmental equity in Florida. Social Science Quarterly, 76(2), 294-310 Bell, M., & Dominici, F. (2008). Effect modification by community characteristics on the short term effects of ozone exposure and mortality in 98 US communities. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167(8), 986-97. Washington State Department of Health (DOH). (2013) The burden of asthma in Washington state: 2013 update. https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/345-240-AsthmaBurdenRept13.pdf Citation Washington Tracking Network, Washington State Department of Health. Web. "People of color". Data obtained from the Office of Financial Management, 2022 Population Estimates Data. Published September 2025.ArcGIS FeatureLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/df66b6c6d8f34037b2c21318fc9c4ded_0engState of Washington Geospatial Open Data PortalPublicPeople of Color [Washington (State)]Web servicesWashington (State)Last Modified: 2025-07-16