SECTION 3: PLANNING AREA PROFILE
Employer
Estimated Employee Count
North Carolina State University
9,019 9,000 8,400 7,700 5,968 5,300 5,100 5,000
IBM (International Business Machines)
Target Stores
UNC Rex Healthcare System
Fidelity Investments
Harris Teeter
Lenovo
Cisco Systems
Source: Wake County Economic Development
3.9 SOCIAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT Social vulnerability refers to a community’s capacity to prepare for and respond to the stress of hazardous events ranging from natural disasters, such as tornadoes or disease outbreaks, to human caused threats, such as toxic chemical spills. That is to say that even if different groups share similar exposure to a hazard, some groups may have a greater capacity to anticipate, cope, and recover from a disaster than others. Social vulnerability often refers to the population characteristics that have historically put certain groups of people at varying risk when they are exposed to the impacts of a hazard event (Cutter, 2003; Berke et al., 2019). Common and determining characteristics include age, gender, income, race, and ethnicity, and language capacity (Cutter et al., 2003; Berke et al., 2015). However, additional characteristics can include social networks, education, cultural knowledge, and political power (Otto et al., 2017). Social vulnerability considerations were included in this plan update to identify areas across the County that might be more vulnerable to hazard impacts based on a number of factors. As discussed in the Population and Demographics section, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a social vulnerability index (SVI) to measure the resilience of communities when confronted by external stresses such as natural or human-caused disasters or disease outbreaks. Results are presented via a score ranging from 0 (lowest vulnerability) to 1 (highest vulnerability). The overall SVI score reported for Wake County as of 2020 is 0.1313 which indicates a low level of vulnerability. Figure 3.6 provides an overview by census tract. Within the limits of Wake County, the most vulnerable residents live near the central and eastern portions, predominantly in and around the City of Raleigh according to 2022 SVI data. NON-ENGLISH-SPEAKING POPULATION According to the American Community Survey 2022 5-year estimates, roughly 17.9 percent of the Wake County population over the age of five speaks a language other than English. Of that population, approximately 32 percent speak English “less than very well.” The most prominent language spoken other than English is Spanish, with 7.8 percent of the non-English speaking population speaking Spanish. In its justification of SVI indicators, the CDC explains that disaster communication is made increasingly difficult for those with limited English proficiency. This difficulty is especially true in communities whose first language is neither English nor Spanish, and for whom translators and/or accurate translations of advisories may be scarce. SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATION Approximately 99,399 residents or 8.8 percent of Wake County’s population identify as having some form of disability including hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and/or independent living
Wake County, NC Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
WSP June 2024 Page 51
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