National map of communities with limited evacuation routes

Our data science team analyzed the approx. 30,000 towns in the U.S. with populations under 40,000 based on U.S. Census, scoring them using a ratio of the number of roadway "exits" from each town and the average "load" on the most-used exits, weighted by town population. We then selected a subset of approx. 800 communities that scored at least 3 times the average of all towns analyzed. You’ll find these communities on the map below.

Map Key:
Color indicates U.S. Census boundaries of the 800 communities with limited evacuation routes.

Zoom into each boundary to review:
POPULATION, based on U.S. Census
EXITS, i.e. the number of usable vehicle exits incl. paved and dirt roads
MAIN EXIT LOAD, i.e. the % of daily traffic using the main exit route