What Do Visualizations of Administrative Address Data Show About the Camp Fire in Paradise, California?

Alexander Din
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Policy Development and Research

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the official positions or policies of the Office of Policy Development and Research, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the U.S. government.

The Camp Fire destroyed most structures and displaced most of the population in Paradise, California. Since the wildfire, Paradise has returned to approximately one-fourth of its pre-wildfire population. This article visualizes administrative address data before and after the wildfire to measure population displacement and return. Administrative address data is likely underutilized for that purpose.