Since the analysis of disproportionate adverse impacts is based on other resource impacts, the assumptions for this analysis include the assumptions of other resource areas as they relate to the identification and analysis of impacts. In addition, this analysis assumes that the latest available demographic data from the United States Census and other sources accurately represent the population in the Planning Area.

In accordance with the BLM and CEQ guidance for assessing environmental justice in the planning process, an area is considered to contain a minority population if either the minority population of the impacted area exceeds 50 percent or the percentage of minority population in the impacted area is meaningfully greater than the percentage in the general population. The “general population” is defined as a relevant comparison area, such as the state.

The minority population in the four Planning Area counties ranges from 7 percent (Park, Hot Springs) to 17 percent (Washakie), compared with a state average of 14 percent. Only Washakie County has a higher minority population than the state. At the town level, two locations in Big Horn County (Burlington and Byron) and one town in Washakie County (Worland) have minority populations higher than the state average. These locations, and Washakie County generally, have a relatively high concentration of minority population, as defined in BLM and CEQ guidance (compared to the state).

In terms of low-income populations, in 2008 all four counties had a poverty rate of at least 10 percent, which is the state level. In 2000 (the latest year for which town-level data are available), at least one town in each county had a poverty rate higher than the state and only a few towns had a lower rate. Thus, there are concentrations of low-income populations within several regions of the Planning Area, as defined in BLM and CEQ guidance.