The Census Environmental Impacts Frame

Review of Environmental Economics and Policy 2026

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Authors: John Voorheis, Jonathan Colmer, Kendall Houghton, Eva Lyubich, Mary Munro, Cameron Scalera, Jennifer Withrow
DOI: 10.1086/741737
Cited by: 1
References: 7

Abstract

Research in environmental economics often relies on aggregated place-based data, limiting our understanding of the interplay between economic activity and environmental conditions. To mitigate this, we introduce the Census Environmental Impacts Frame (EIF), a new microdata infrastructure linking individual-level socioeconomic data and residential histories with high-resolution estimates of environmental conditions for nearly all US residents over the past 2 decades. The EIF enables researchers to analyze the distribution of environmental conditions using individual-level rather than place-based data, track exposures over time, and assess their economic consequences in unprecedented detail. This article describes the EIF and summarizes opportunities for researchers.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Census and Population Estimation Survey Methodology and Nonresponse demographic modeling and climate adaptation

Publication details

Journal / source
Review of Environmental Economics and Policy
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Volume
20
Issue
2
Pages
304–312
Publication date
1 June 2026
Language
EN