Overview

Youth-Related Services Coverage Analysis is an interactive data visualization tool that maps and analyzes nonprofit service coverage across US states from 2012 to 2017. The platform enables users to explore service availability across six critical categories—child welfare, housing, legal aid, mental health, workforce development, and youth development—using four sophisticated metrics that account for population size and service ecosystem fragility. The visualization transforms complex IRS Form 990 data into an intuitive choropleth map, making it easy to identify service deserts and assess the structural resilience of nonprofit ecosystems at the state level.

Problem

Understanding nonprofit service coverage across the United States is critical for identifying underserved areas and ensuring equitable distribution of resources. However, analyzing vast amounts of IRS Form 990 data to determine where youth-related services are most needed presents significant challenges, particularly when comparing states of vastly different sizes and populations. Traditional approaches to analyzing nonprofit coverage lack the sophistication to identify true service "deserts" - areas with insufficient nonprofit services relative to population needs. Simply counting organizations doesn't account for factors like population density, spending efficiency, or the fragility of service ecosystems that depend too heavily on a small number of providers. Researchers and policymakers need tools that make complex data accessible and actionable.

Solution

An interactive data visualization platform that transforms IRS Form 990 data into accessible, actionable insights through choropleth mapping:

Interactive Features:

  • Interactive choropleth map using D3.js with Albers USA projection
  • Timeline slider to explore data from 2012 to 2017
  • Category filters for six service types: child welfare, housing, legal aid, mental health, workforce development, and youth development
  • Interactive tooltips showing detailed state-level metrics
  • Responsive design that works across devices
  • Red borders highlighting states with missing data for transparency

Four Sophisticated Metrics:

  • Per-Capita Desert Score: Combines provider density and spending measures to identify underserved regions, normalized by population for cross-state comparison
  • Service Fragility: Uses Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) to reveal states where services depend heavily on a small number of providers
  • Population-Adjusted Metrics: Enable meaningful comparisons across states of vastly different sizes
  • Normalized Color Scheme: Darker blue consistently represents better coverage across all metrics, making patterns immediately recognizable

Service Categories:

  • Child Welfare Services
  • Housing & Shelter Programs
  • Legal Aid & Advocacy
  • Mental Health Services
  • Workforce Development Programs
  • Youth Development Initiatives

Challenges

Working with IRS Form 990 data across multiple years (2012-2017) presented unique challenges. The data is complex, with varying levels of completeness across states and years. Handling missing data transparently while maintaining analytical rigor required careful design decisions, including the red border indicators for states with incomplete data. Creating population-adjusted metrics that enable meaningful comparisons across states of vastly different sizes was critical. California and Wyoming, for example, require fundamentally different analytical approaches due to their population disparities. The solution involved developing sophisticated normalization techniques that account for both absolute service levels and per-capita measures. Designing an intuitive user interface that makes complex statistical concepts accessible to non-technical users posed significant UX challenges. The "About the Metrics" section needed to provide full mathematical transparency while remaining comprehensible to policymakers and nonprofit leaders. The color scheme design was iterative, ensuring that darker blues consistently represent better coverage across all four metrics. Implementing the Service Fragility metric using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index required adapting a market concentration measure to the nonprofit context. This involved extensive research to validate that HHI appropriately captures the risk of service disruption when too few providers dominate a category.

Results & Impact

The Youth-Related Services Coverage Analysis platform successfully transforms complex IRS Form 990 data into an accessible, interactive tool for researchers, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders. The visualization makes it immediately apparent which states have service deserts and which have fragile service ecosystems dependent on too few providers. The population-adjusted metrics enable meaningful cross-state comparisons that were previously difficult or impossible. A policymaker can now quickly identify that a state may have many nonprofits in absolute terms but still be underserved on a per-capita basis, or conversely, that a state with fewer organizations might actually have adequate coverage relative to its population. The Service Fragility metric reveals hidden vulnerabilities in nonprofit ecosystems. States where services are concentrated in just a few organizations face significant risk if those providers experience financial difficulties or closure. This insight enables proactive intervention and diversification strategies to build more resilient service networks. The interactive timeline from 2012-2017 allows users to track trends over time, identifying states where coverage is improving or deteriorating. This temporal analysis supports evidence-based policy decisions and strategic resource allocation to maximize impact on youth-related services across all six critical categories.