(a) In general. Each application that qualifies by meeting the threshold requirements will receive a score based on its ranking, as described in paragraph (b) of this section, plus any preference points, as described in paragraph (c) of this section.

(b) Ranking score. Each nominated area meeting the minimum thresholds will be ranked from highest to lowest according to the area poverty rate, area unemployment rate, and for urban areas, the percentage of families below 80 percent of area median income. Urban nominated areas will be ranked separately from rural nominated areas. The percentile rank will be determined by dividing these rankings by the total number of nominated areas ranked and multiplying the result by 100. The average ranking will be determined by computing the simple average of the percentile ranks for each nominated area. To create a 100 point scale, the average rankings will be subtracted from 100.

(c) Preference points—

(1) Incidence of crime. A nominated area may receive a maximum of 1, 2, or 4 crime incidence preference points as follows:

(i) Number of points awarded. A nominated area will receive 1 additional point if its 1999 Local Crime Index (LCI), as determined on the basis of data from each State and local law enforcement authority with jurisdiction in the nominated area, does not exceed by more than 25% the nation-wide 1999 Crime Index rate per 100,000 inhabitants (CI) prepared as part of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. A preference of 2 points will be added to the score of a nominated area with an LCI that does not exceed the CI by more than 10 percent. A nominated area that has an LCI that is less than the CI will receive 4 preference points.

(ii) Qualifying for preference points. To qualify for preference points based on the incidence of crime, the nominating governments must determine and then certify to the LCI determined for the nominated area, in accordance with §599.107(a)(3)

(2) Preference points for certain census tracts. A nominated area will receive one preference point if any of its census tracts is a census tract identified in GAO Report RCED-98-158R, dated May 12, 1998. (The GAO Report is available from U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 37050, Washington, DC 20013 or http://www.gao.gov.)