Using HUD Crosswalk Files to Improve COVID-19 Analysis at the ZIP Code and Local Level

Alexander Din
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Ron Wilson
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to infect, harm, and kill thousands of Americans, many jurisdictions and institutions are publishing data at the ZIP Code-level, including counts of tests performed, people infected, hospitalizations, and deaths. These data are leading to quickly produced publications with strong conjectures about the forming of geographic patterns. We present an alternative to ZIP Codes when working with local COVID-19 data.