Skip to content

Community Health Overlay

← Back to Oakland Assessment

Health Burden in Port-Adjacent Communities

West Oakland is immediately adjacent to the Port of Oakland's container terminals. The community has borne the cumulative burden of port operations, rail yards, freeways, and industrial facilities for decades — a legacy of deliberate infrastructure placement in communities of color. Despite dramatic emissions reductions under CARB regulation, health disparities persist, reflecting decades of cumulative exposure and the lag between emissions reductions and health outcomes.

This analysis maps health outcomes at census tract resolution using CDC PLACES data for Alameda County (360+ census tracts).

View Health Impact Dashboard →


Data Sources

Source Publisher Data Provided Access
CDC PLACES CDC Census-tract-level health estimates: asthma, COPD, heart disease, cancer prevalence cdc.gov/places
EJScreen EPA Environmental justice screening indicators by census tract ejscreen.epa.gov
BAAQMD West Oakland Community Action Plan BAAQMD AB 617 WOCAP emissions data, community monitoring, progress reports baaqmd.gov
American Community Survey U.S. Census Bureau Demographics, income, poverty, housing by census tract census.gov
Alameda County Dept of Public Health Alameda County County-level health priorities, chronic disease surveillance acphd.org
WOEIP Community Monitoring WOEIP Hyperlocal air quality data, resident-led pollution mapping Community organization

Full Assessment Available

The complete analysis for this section — including census-tract-level health quantification, monetized health damages, environmental justice scoring, and scenario modeling — is available through our research services.

See the full methodology in action: Our Duluth-Superior assessment and New York/New Jersey assessment demonstrate the complete analytical depth available for every port on this site.

Contact us to discuss a site-specific assessment for this port community: research@porthealthwatch.org

View Services & Investment →