Poverty rate and income instability across census tracts. High economic pressure limits household food budgets and reduces capacity to absorb disruptions.
Overcrowding and limited physical storage reduce the ability to stockpile food. Households with less storage are more exposed to supply chain gaps.
Distance to grocery stores and density of food retail. Areas with low access depend on fewer, less redundant supply nodes.
The index combines all three conditions. Vulnerability is highest where economic pressure, storage constraints, and access scarcity overlap simultaneously.