Signal Group

Safety & Environment

5data sources

8%composite weight

Safety & Environment measures crime rates, natural disaster risk, air quality, flood hazards, and environmental quality. While these factors don't drive growth, they can significantly detract from a location's appeal and long-term viability. Low scores here represent risk factors. Municipal 311 requests are currently collected only for benchmarking and are not scoring evidence.

CRE Relevance

Why it matters for CRE

Environmental and safety risks directly impact insurance costs, tenant retention, and property values. Flood and natural disaster risk are particularly important for long-term CRE investments. High crime areas see reduced foot traffic and higher turnover. Municipal 311 data remains pending benchmark evaluation and is not included in the current score. These factors are weighted lower but can be deal-breakers.

Octagon Position

Signal position in the composite

Safety & Environment highlighted — other groups at baseline

Sub-Scores

5 contributing sub-scores

Sub-Score

Description

Methodology

Refresh

Crime Rate Index

Composite crime rate index based on violent and property crime statistics.

Federal crime report data at city/county level. Lower crime = higher score (inverted).

Annually

Flood Risk Score

Flood zone classification and historical flood event frequency.

Federal flood zone overlay. Higher risk zones receive lower scores.

Annually

Environmental Quality

Air quality, proximity to hazardous sites, and environmental justice indicators.

Federal environmental screening indicators composite. Lower environmental burden = higher score.

Annually

Natural Disaster Risk

Composite risk score for 18 natural hazard types including earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires.

Federal risk index expected annual loss and social vulnerability at census tract level. Lower risk = higher score.

Annually

Air Quality Index

Real-time and historical air quality monitoring from nearby federal stations.

Federal AQI data averaged over trailing 12 months. Lower AQI (better air) = higher score.

Continuous

Scoring Methodology

How the score is calculated

A Safety & Environment score of 70 means environmental and safety conditions score 70 out of 100. Low crime, minimal flood and disaster risk, and clean air are the primary positive factors.

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