The City of Springfield’s Department of Planning and Development’s Neighborhoods division is changing the way it tracks and reports the health of Springfield’s 34 neighborhood service areas.
In addition to redesigning the Neighborhood Health Indicators reports into a dashboard format, we’ve added several new indicators to offer a more nuanced and comprehensive view of neighborhood demographics and perceived health.
Previously, NHIs were presented quarterly in a “heat map” format comprised of police incident reports, foreclosures, owner occupancy rates and code enforcement cases. We’ve added neighborhood voting rates, vacant properties, poverty status and number of housing units, which will allow us to better understand the diverse dynamics within each neighborhood. Also, NHIs will be updated annually instead of quarterly.
Find your neighborhood’s report by visiting your neighborhood’s section on SGFNeighborhoodNews.com or the City’s website at springfieldmo.gov/nhi. Below is a table that explains how each figure was calculated, the sources of the data and the Springfield totals for each indicator.
| Variable | Explanation | Source | Springfield, MO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Police Incident Reports (2023) | Police reports are calls requesting service for the following: assault, auto theft – stolen vehicle, burglary | Springfield Police Department | 12,060 |
| 2a. Population | The total number of people that live within an area | U.S. Census Bureau | 170,067 |
| 2b. Housing Units (All residential types) | The total number of housing units within an area | Greene County Assessor Office, U.S. Census Bureau | 52,223 |
| 2c. Vacant Housing Units (Single-family) | The total number of vacant single-family housing units within an area | Greene County Assessor Office, United States PostalService | 1,831 |
| 2d. Voted in the Last 12 Months | The estimated number of adults that voted in federal, local or state electionsin the last 12 months | Greene County Clerk’s Office | 51% |
| 2e. Foreclosure Sales in the Last 5 Years | The number of homes that have beensold via foreclosure sale within the last five years | Greene County Assessor Office | 160 |
| 2f. Number of Code Violations (in 2023) | The number of code enforcement violations issued within a year. Violations are comprised of the following issues: nuisance, blight, overgrowth, zoning, and dangerousbuildings | Springfield BuildingDevelopment Services Department | 54,772 |
| 3. Number of Properties with Code Violations (2023) | The number of properties within an area that have been issued a code violation by the Springfield BuildingDevelopment Services department | Springfield BuildingDevelopment Services Department | 2,937 |
| 4. Median Home Value (Single-Family) | Average home value for a single-family home within a given area | U.S. Census Bureau | $196,248 |
| 5. Household Income (Single-Family) | The amount of income earned by a household in a year within a given area | U.S. Census Bureau | $45,400 |
| 6. Home Ownership (Single-Family) | The percentage of homeowners thatare the principal resident of a residential property | Greene County Assessor Office | 58% |
| 7. Poverty Status | Percentage of households in the given area that live under the poverty level | U.S. Census Bureau | 20.3% |
The 2011-2023 reports are still available on the City of Springfield’s website, in Planning and Development’s Document Library.