Introducing Hartford’s Neighborhood Data Platform: A New Tool Built with and For Our Community
For years, one of the most common questions we received from partners, providers, and residents has been surprisingly simple: “Do you have data about my neighborhood?”
Whether it was a grant writer asking how many 5-year-olds live in Clay Arsenal, a community group looking for population totals, or programs trying to contextualize North Hartford Ascend’s aggregate data, the community need was clear—Hartford needed accessible, neighborhood-level information in one place.
Where It Started
The idea for the Hartford Neighborhood Data Platform grew out of our work presenting program-level data for the North Hartford Ascend project. Repeatedly, the community asked for context: Were programs reaching a meaningful share of residents in the neighborhood?
In response, we embedded the neighborhood data in a tool we previously created, The Community Resource Map. but as that tool expanded, many users told us it became overwhelming. It was difficult to quickly locate the indicators they needed. At the same time, our helpline inbox received frequent requests for specific neighborhood data points to support grant writing and presentations.
It became clear we needed a simpler, more focused platform.
Building Something Better
Our original idea was to create a small data tool just for the North End. But during early conversations, it became obvious that every neighborhood in Hartford deserved the same visibility—so the project expanded citywide.
By April 2025, we developed a prototype and invited Hartford’s provider community, resident leaders, Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC) partners, and North Hartford Ascend partners to a live demo. Participants tested the tool in real time—clicking through different tabs, interpreting visualizations, and sharing honest feedback about what worked and what didn’t.
What worked well
The community’s feedback was both enthusiastic and insightful:
The tool synthesized a large amount of relevant data in one place.
Many users appreciated the combination of the map and the bar chart, which provided both visual and numerical context.
Several partners shared genuine excitement about the tool’s potential—one noted that it is “truly changing the game.”
What Could Be Improved
The feedback was also constructive:
The ability to view a neighborhood-level snapshot with key demographic, economic, and education indicators.
A clear disclaimer about data sources and years (e.g., “This data is from ACS 2023”).
The option to select and compare multiple variables, rather than viewing one at a time.
What Was Challenging
Users also pointed out navigation challenges:
Having to click through each category individually to understand a full neighborhood picture.
Difficulty comparing multiple variables within a single neighborhood.
These insights directly informed the enhancements you see in the final version today—especially neighborhood snapshots and streamlined navigation.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever: Expanding Access to Local Data
The tool currently relies on American Community Survey (ACS) data. But this year’s federal government shutdown made ACS data significantly harder for communities to access, highlighting just how vulnerable national data systems can be. That challenge underscored how important it is to strengthen local data systems that we control—systems that will remain available regardless of federal disruptions.
Our goal is simple: make neighborhood-level data easy to find, easy to use, and protected. We want Hartford providers, residents, educators, advocates, and policymakers to have the local information they need to understand community conditions and drive change.
At a time when local data infrastructure is increasingly fragile, CTData is committed to building local data resiliency, and this platform is one important step toward that vision.
What Comes Next
We’re already exploring additional datasets that matter deeply to our community, including:
Health indicators
SNAP and economic supports
Crime and safety
Additional locally sourced datasets
These future additions will help paint a fuller, more accurate picture of Hartford’s neighborhoods.
A Community-Built Tool
This platform exists because of Hartford’s providers, residents, and partners—their questions, feedback, and commitment to better data for better outcomes for their community. We are deeply grateful to everyone who tested the prototype, shared ideas, and pushed us to make this tool more useful.
We’re excited to introduce the Hartford Neighborhood Data Platform —and even more excited about how it will continue to grow and strengthen with your input. If you’d like help navigating the tool, have ideas for future datasets, or want to get involved in development, we’d love to hear from you.
For More Information
If you are interested in learning more about Hartford Data Collaborative, click here. If you are interested in learning more about Hartford Youth Data Fellows, click here. To review more Hartford data projects by CTData, click here. You can keep up with us by subscribing to the CTData newsletter and following us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.