Access the Data HereWhat is the COVID-19 Economic Vulnerability Index?The COVID-19 Vulnerability Index (CVI) is a measurement of the negative impact that the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis can have on employment based upon a region's mix of industries. For example, accommodation and food services are projected to lose more jobs as a result of the coronavirus (in the neighborhood of 50%) compared with utilities and healthcare (with none or little expected job contraction).An average Vulnerability Index score is 100, representing the average job loss expected in the United States. Higher scores indicate the degree to which job losses may be greater — an index score of 200, for example, means the rate of job loss can be twice as large as the national average. Conversely, an index score of 50 would mean a possible job loss of half the national average. Regions heavily dependent on tourism with relatively high concentrations of leisure and hospitality jobs, for example, are likely to have high index scores. The Vulnerability Index only measures the impact potential related to the mix of industry employment. The index does not take into account variation due to a region’s rate of virus infection, nor does it factor in local government's policies in reaction to the virus. For more detail, please see this description.MethodologyThe index is based on a model of potential job losses due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Expected employment losses at the subsector level are based upon inputs which include primary research on expert testimony; news reports for key industries such as hotels, restaurants, retail, and transportation; preliminary release of unemployment claims; and the latest job postings data from Chmura's RTI database. The forecast model, based on conditions as of March 23, 2020, assumes employment in industries in each county/region would change at a similar rate as employment in national industries. The projection estimates that the United States could lose 15.0 million jobs due to COVID-19, with over half of the jobs lost in hotels, food services, and entertainment industries. Contact Chmura for further details.