This dashboard allows you to explore the relationship between income levels and tobacco retail presence across all 58 California counties.

Important Note:
This analysis does not suggest that low-income communities are responsible for tobacco proliferation. Rather, it raises concern that commercial tobacco presence may be disproportionately concentrated in these neighborhoods first, potentially reflecting systemic exploitation and targeted saturation by the tobacco industry. The visual diffusion is used as a metaphor to highlight this spatial inequity — not to assign blame.

• View a dynamic exposure map showing how tobacco retailer density may expand outward from economically vulnerable zones.
• Inspect charts correlating % low-income households with retailer density and retailer count.
• Examine how median household income relates to retailer count.

What is the Exposure Score?
The exposure score is a composite indicator that estimates the intensity of tobacco retailer influence in each census tract. It combines multiple factors:

• 40% – % Low-Income households (higher = more vulnerable)
• 30% – Tobacco Retailer Density (retailers per km²)
• 20% – Diffusion Wave (how far a tract is from low-income origin zones)
• 10% – Average Retailer Density in Neighboring Tracts