# Defining 'Underserved Community'
**URL:** https://community.weallcount.com/t/defining-underserved-community/1961
**Category:** Questions
**Created:** [June 22, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.weallcount.com/t/defining-underserved-community/1961 "2023-06-22T22:11:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@cjmax](https://community.weallcount.com/u/cjmax)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.weallcount.com/t/defining-underserved-community/1961/1 "2023-06-22T22:11:43Z")
My organization uses the term ‘underserved community’ a lot. Has anyone else tried to create a definition for this? Specifically, I need to create a list of zip codes in the US of underserved communities, but there are so many different ways to conceptualize this and I’m curious where others have landed in creating a definition.
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### Author:  [@Heather](https://community.weallcount.com/u/Heather)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.weallcount.com/t/defining-underserved-community/1961/2 "2023-06-23T18:13:59Z")
Hey @cjmax ! Really excellent question. Thank you for adding it here.
The concept of “underserved” has been a thorny issue in the was data is used in the US. Frankly, it is often used as code for “Black” or “BIPOC” and often it is better to simply say explicitly what you are measuring. However, if you are going to use the term “underserved” - it is really important to have an explicit definition, like you mention.
The White House Executive Order has a pretty clear definition of how it defines underserved. That might be useful if you need to align with the US federal government. However, the feds often need to water their operational definitions down to please multiple stakeholders.
> **[Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved...](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/)**
>
> Equal opportunity is the bedrock of American democracy, and our diversity is one of our country's greatest strengths. But for too many, the American Dream remains out of reach.
I think there is a pretty strong case for using something like under-recognized rather than underserved. N. Chloé Nwangwu talks about that here:
> **[Why We Should Stop Saying “Underrepresented”](https://hbr.org/2023/04/why-we-should-stop-saying-underrepresented)**
>
> In this article, brand strategist and visibility expert N. Chloé Nwangwu argue that “underrecognized” is more accurate than — and a more productive alternative to — the word “underrepresented.” Nwangwu argues that “underrepresented” fails because it...
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### Author:  [@clappm](https://community.weallcount.com/u/clappm)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2023, 5:59pm UTC](https://community.weallcount.com/t/defining-underserved-community/1961/3 "2023-06-28T17:59:01Z")
What about even “historically marginalized” communities to eliminate the use of “under” entirely?
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### Author:  [@Heather](https://community.weallcount.com/u/Heather)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2023, 12:45pm UTC](https://community.weallcount.com/t/defining-underserved-community/1961/4 "2023-06-29T12:45:15Z")
Great suggestion. I think one of the main priorities is trying to find a word that clearly labels who is making the salient choice in how to treat people - rather than making it imply it is a word that describes a characteristic of the people.
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### Author:  [@tinafletcher8](https://community.weallcount.com/u/tinafletcher8)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.weallcount.com/t/defining-underserved-community/1961/5 "2024-04-03T15:23:14Z")
This is a great question. Similarly, it would be interesting to hear from this group how the term “at-risk” is defined by your organization? Particularly as it relates to education.