Service Area Map Datasets

Evaluation Criteria Datasets

These datasets are referenced in the scoring of applications requesting grant funds as part of the funding type request. A shapefile for each of the evaluation criteria datasets will be made available to download from this page shortly.

• Economic Need of the Community (SAIPE): This dataset contains the results of the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program poverty estimates for all counties with a poverty percentage of 20 percent or higher as of 2022. The SAIPE program released this dataset in December 2023. This program provides annual estimates of income and poverty statistics for all school districts, counties, and states for the administration of federal programs and the allocation of federal funds to local jurisdictions. The SAIPE program produces the following county and state estimates:
  • total number of people in poverty
  • number of children under age 5 in poverty (for states only)
  • number of related children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty
  • number of children under age 18 in poverty
  • median household income
  More information on SAIPE can be found at the US Census SAIPE web page. For projects where 75 percent of the Proposed Funded Service Area(s) are proposing to serve communities with a SAIPE score of 20 percent of higher, 20 points will be awarded. Additional information about this can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. This dataset was last updated on March 14, 2024.
• Most Unserved Locations Per Square Mile: This dataset includes the 10 states eligible to receive points under this evaluation criteria. Projects in which at least 75% of the PFSA is located in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming, will receive 10 points. Projects in which at least 75% of the PFSA is located in Arkansas, Mississippi, Nevada, South Dakota, and West Virginia, will receive 5 points. For projects in which 75% of the PFSA is located in more than one of these states, the application will receive the points associated with the highest scoring state.
• Rurality – 100 Miles from Urbanized Areas: This dataset contains 2020 Census urbanized areas surrounded by a 100-mile buffer. Urbanized areas are cities or towns that have a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants after removing military base and prison populations.
• Tribal Area in Alaska (Census): This dataset represents Alaska Native village statistical areas (ANVSAs).

Evaluation Criteria and Service Area Eligibility Criteria Datasets

These datasets are referenced in the scoring of applications and for outlining where service area eligibility may be limited for some applications. A shapefile for each of the evaluation criteria and service area eligibility datasets will be made available to download from this page shortly.

Socially Vulnerable Communities: This dataset contains Census Tracts with a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), overall ranking of 0.75 or higher. The SVI determines the degree to which a given community may be unable to prevent human suffering and financial loss in the event of a disaster. The SVI ranks the Census Tracts on 15 social factors:

• Socioeconomic Status
  • Below Poverty
  • Unemployed
  • Income
  • No High School Diploma
• Household Composition & Disability
  • Aged 65 or Older
  • Aged 17 or Younger
  • Civilian with a Disability
  • Single-Parent Households

• Minority Status & Language

  • Minority

  • Aged 5 or Older who Speaks English “Less than Well”

• Housing Type & Transportation

  • Multi-Unit Structures

  • Mobile Homes

  • Crowding

  • No Vehicle

  • Group Quarters

For the purposes of this FOA, Puerto Rico, Guam, America Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Hawaiian Census Tribal areas are considered to be Socially Vulnerable Communities. For applications where at least 75 percent of the Proposed Funded Service Area(s) are proposing to serve Socially Vulnerable Communities, as defined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, 15 points will be awarded.

• Tribal Area (BIA LAR): This dataset consists of the geospatial representation of American Indian land areas for federally recognized tribes as determined by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
• Tribal Statistical Area (BIA): This dataset consists of trust, restricted, and mixed ownership land area used for the collection, tabulation, and presentation of decennial census data for the 36 Federally recognized American Indian tribes located in the state of Oklahoma.
• Tribal Supplemental Area (BIA LAR): This dataset is a supplemental dataset compiled from The American Indian Reservations / Federally Recognized Tribal Entities dataset which depicts feature location, selected demographics and other associated data for the 561 Federally Recognized Tribal entities in the contiguous U.S. and Alaska. The data represented in this source features American Indian Reservations (AIR), Federally Recognized Tribal Entities (FRTE) and Alaska Native Villages (ANV).

Service Area Eligibility Criteria Datasets

These datasets outline geographic areas where the service area eligibility may be limited for some applications. See below for more information. A shapefile for each of the service area eligibility datasets will be made available to download from this page shortly.

• Alaska Native Regional Corporations: This dataset includes the twelve legally defined boundaries of Alaskan regions created pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) enacted in 1971 as a ‘‘Regional Corporation’’ and organized under the laws of the State of Alaska to conduct both the for-profit and nonprofit affairs of Alaska Natives within a defined region of Alaska.
• Alaska Native Village Corporations: This dataset represents the more densely settled portion of Alaska Native villages (ANVs). The ANVs constitute associations, bands, clans, communities, groups, tribes, or villages recognized pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-203). Because ANVs do not always have clear, legally defined boundaries or boundaries that include most of the population and housing associated with the ANV, the Census Bureau does not delimit ANVs. Instead, the Census Bureau presents statistical data for ANVSAs that represent the settled portion of ANVs. In addition, each ANVSA should include only an area where Alaska Natives, especially members of the defining ANV, represent a substantial proportion of the population during at least one season of the year.
• Colonia Areas: This dataset consists of unincorporated low-income communities lacking infrastructure in the state of Arizona, California, New Mexico, or Texas within 150 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. These communities were in existence and generally recognized as a “colonia” prior to 1990.
• Enforceable Commitments: This dataset contains the service areas of legally enforceable obligations made by federal, state, or local agencies, utilizing Federal Funds, to provide broadband service with speeds of at least 100 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 20 (Mbps) upstream. Areas are removed from this dataset as USDA is alerted by cooperating Agencies that an award is in default or is no longer being serviced by another Federal program. The current dataset is dated April 24, 2024, and includes areas awarded by the following agencies and programs:
  • Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
    1. Bringing Puerto Rico Together
    2. Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF Auction 903)
    3. Connect US Virgin Islands
    4. Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (E-ACAM)
    5. Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)
  • US Treasury
    1. Capital Projects Fund (CPF)
    2. State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF)
  • National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
    1. Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP)
    2. Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP)
• Non-Rural Areas: This dataset contains a subset of the 2020 Census Places data and a subset of the Urbanized Area/Urban Cluster 2020 Census data. Both subsets were filtered to include: (1) a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants; and (2) an urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants after removing military base and prison populations. However, due to the US Census no longer defining “urbanized areas”, USDA will recognize any Census-designated “urban” area with a population per the 2020 Decennial Census as an “urbanized area.” Additionally, non-contiguous parts of any “urban” area will be considered eligible for funding consideration and are removed from this dataset. The resulting two subsets were merged to create the non-rural areas layer.

  In accordance 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(G), additional areas within Hawaii and Puerto Rico have been determined to be rural as of Rural Development’s implementation of the 2020 Decennial Census:

  • Honolulu, Hawaii - based on the 2020 Decennial Census, only the Urban Honolulu Census Designated Place (CDP) and the East Honolulu CDP within the County of Honolulu, are considered urban in character. All other areas are determined to be rural.

  • Puerto Rico - all CDPs whose populations exceed 50,000 are not rural; however, individual census tracts within those CDPs with the following characteristics are designated as rural areas:

    1. Population density of 2,000 or less per square kilometer that are clearly not urban in character (e.g., not an industrial/commercial area like a major airport, sportsplex, or a shopping center).

    2. Population density greater than 2,000 per square kilometer that are contiguous to other census tracts, the majority of whose population densities is 2,000 or less.

• Pending Applications: This dataset includes all Community Connect, Rural Telecommunications Infrastructure, and ReConnect Program loan, loan/grant combination, and grant applications that have been submitted to the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) for consideration. The layer will be updated when the status of an application changes. Approved applications will remain protected under the Protected Broadband Borrower Service Areas layer. For applications that are no longer considered by RUS, the applicant’s Proposed Funded Service Area will no longer appear as part of this layer. The current dataset is dated as of April 24, 2024, and includes recently submitted Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan applications and ReConnect 100% Loan applications.
• Persistent Poverty Counties: USDA Rural Development ERS Persistent Poverty Counties includes 1990, 2000, and 2007-11, 5 Year American Community Survey datasets from the US Census Bureau. They are measuring poverty based on the wording of the H.R.1865. FY2020 Appropriations document. The definition may be found in the section: H.R.1865—118 SEC. 740. The 1980 Decennial Census is omitted from this dataset.
• Protected Broadband Borrower Service Areas: This dataset includes the service areas of entities that received a Telecommunications Infrastructure loan, Farm Bill Broadband loan, Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) award, or ReConnect Program grant, loan, or combination award during or after Fiscal Year (FY) 2000. This dataset also includes Community Connect projects that are still under construction. Service areas of projects that were approved but were subsequently de-obligated are not protected and have been omitted from this layer. With the exception of RUS projects still under construction, the service areas of existing RUS broadband borrowers and grant recipients without sufficient access to broadband, as defined in the FY2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity, are eligible for ReConnect funding. The current dataset is dated February 21, 2024. Additional updates may be made to this dataset until the Round 5 application window opens on March 22, 2024.

Please note: RUS began requiring the submission of geospatial information that captured broadband borrower and grant recipient service areas beginning in FY2009. However, this mapping layer may not include all RUS broadband borrower service areas that are eligible to receive protection under the ReConnect Program. Additionally, not all service areas included under the most recently updated Protected Broadband Borrower Service Areas Layer are providing sufficient access to broadband, as defined in the most current ReConnect funding announcement; therefore, RUS will conduct a final evaluation of service area eligibility during application review.