Aid_Content Page_Data Sources

Data Sources

The Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP) and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP) use data for multiple determinations:

  • Interest rate determination - Median Household Income (MHI) and population size determine the amount of subsidy, per ss. 281.58(12) and 281.61(11), Wis. Stats.
  • Principal forgiveness (PF) eligibility - MHI, population size, family poverty percentage, lowest quintile household income, county unemployment rate, and population trend all are determining factors for PF.
  • Priority score - A percentage of a project's PF points is added to a project's priority score to provide additional points for those projects with the greatest financial need.

Criteria for disadvantaged community status and affordability are set in the annual Intended Use Plans (IUPs).

Starting in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2023, the most recent data that is available at the start of each state fiscal year will be used for our calculations. An exception for SFY 2023 was made for MHI data, as this data was already gathered and published at the time of the notice of Intent to Apply (ITA) deadline. Therefore, the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates from 2015-2019 were used for SFY 2023.

Principal Forgiveness (PF) Data

Population Size

The population data that is used comes from the most recently published final population estimates provided by the Wisconsin Department of Administration's (DOA) Demographic Services Center (DSC). Final population estimates are published by October 10 of each year.

Median Household Income (MHI)

MHI data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, table ID B19013.

Population Trends Data

Population projections are developed by the DOA's Demographic Services Center. For sanitary districts, the town's population projection is used. As of October 2022, the DOA's DSC only has municipal population projections available as far as 2040; therefore, population trend is calculated using 2020 final population estimates in comparison to 2040 projections.

Unemployment Data

Unemployment data comes from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and is updated monthly. The average unemployment percentage for the most recent 12 months of finalized data for both the state and for the county in which the municipality resides is used for the calculation. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

LOWEST QUINTILE HOUSEHOLD INCOME UPPER LIMIT (LQI)

The LQI data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's ACS 5-year estimates, table ID B19080. To calculate the LQI in B19080, the ACS groups all household incomes for a given place into five equal parts. The first quintile (or lowest quintile) is the value that defines the upper limit of the lowest one-fifth of all household incomes. For example, if there are a total of 10 households sampled in a community, the lowest two household incomes constitute the lowest quintile. Of those two households, if one has an income of $10,000 and the other has an income of $14,000, then upper limit of the lowest quintile would be $14,000.

Family Poverty Percentage

Family poverty percentage is based on the percentage of families in a municipality with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's ACS 5-year estimates, table ID S1702.

Sanitary Districts, Metropolitan Sewerage Districts, and Other Types of Special Districts

Data for special districts is not readily available on the U.S. Census Bureau website, unless the district is a Census Designated Place (CDP). If the boundary of the district falls within the boundary of a CDP, then that CDP's data can likely be used. If a district is not a CDP, then the data will need to be obtained through one of the following methods. The CWFP/SDWLP may obtain the data for the district, or the district may provide the data to the CWFP/SDWLP for concurrence.

  • A map of the district boundary may be compared to a minor civil division map, such as a town, in which the district is located. If the district falls within two or more minor civil divisions, the data is weighted by the population of the district that resides within each minor civil division.
     
  • A map of the district boundary may be compared to census tracts or block groups to determine which census geography or geographies best encompass the district's boundaries. The data is then weighted by the population of the district that resides within each census geography. Note: LQI and family poverty level data is only available down to the census tract level and not the block level.
     
  • The district may request a custom tabulation of data from the U.S. Census Bureau at the census block level. To obtain a custom tabulation, the municipality will likely need to compare a map showing the boundaries of the municipality to a census block map and determine which census blocks contain any portion of the municipality. The municipality would then submit the appropriate census block numbers to the U.S. Census Bureau with a request for a custom tabulation of data for that set of identified blocks only. The U.S. Census Bureau will charge a fee for a custom tabulation.
     
  • For Metropolitan Sewerage Districts and other districts that encompass more than one municipality, a weighted average of the data will be used based on the population served for each municipality.

Note for municipalities that are not special districts: When the service area of the treatment works within the boundary of the municipality is different than the municipality's boundary, the municipality may choose to follow the custom tabulation procedure outlined above.

Contact information
For information on this topic, contact the appropriate Program Coordinator:
Lisa Bushby, Clean Water Fund Program Coordinator
Noah Balgooyen, Safe Drinking Water Loan Program Coordinator