Summary

Pioneer Valley Plan for Progress Performance Indicators

This web site is a source for evaluating the current state of the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts. The data on this web site can be used to view the trends of selected economic indicators for the region. More specifically, it is also an online version of an accountability system for the Pioneer Valley Plan for Progress. This system was developed to provide a more quantitative understanding of how the region is progressing in the strategic goals laid out by the Plan. It does not attempt to evaluate current year statistics in isolation (judging whether a specific unemployment rate is good or bad), but rather looks at changes over time and the general trend of whether a situation is improving or not (observing whether the unemployment rate is increasing or decreasing).

The Plan for Progress Performance Indicators are a set of four groups of quantitative benchmarks that will assist in identifying economic trends and measure progress towards the Pioneer Valley Plan For Progress Strategic Goals and Action Steps. Each group of Indicators has a separate page on this site.

Rating Scale

Each indicator was assigned a rating from 1 to 3 with a 1 assigned for a negative trend, 2 for a neutral trend, and 3 for a positive trend. Once benchmark data was collected for the most recent year available, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) staff calculated percentage changes from one year prior (or the most recent previous year possible if prior year data is not available). An improvement of at least one percent is considered a positive trend while a decline of at least one percent is considered a negative trend. Between one percent improvement and a one percent decline is considered a neutral trend.

Following is a description of the ratings scale used to determine these scores.

	Positive Trend – More than a 1% change in a positive direction.
	Neutral Trend – Less than a 1% change in any direction.
	Negative Trend – More than a 1% change in a negative direction.

Regional Geography

Ratings for each indicator represent the current trend in the given indicator for the Pioneer Valley (Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties). For each performance indicator evaluated, graphs also depict the data for each county individually as well as for the Pioneer Valley Region which consists of only Hampden and Hampshire counties.

Urban Core Data

The 2004 Plan for Progress highlighted seven cross-cutting themes of regional significance that should be a focus of all of the Plan's strategies and measures of success. Urban investment is a primary one of these cross-cutting themes. It is absolutely clear that a truly vibrant and healthy Pioneer Valley requires vibrant and healthy urban core cities. The term “urban core” in the context of this cross-cutting theme refers primarily to Springfield and Holyoke, and, to some extent, the adjacent city of Chicopee. The Plan for Progress endorses strategies and actions that directly or indirectly invest in the development and improvement of the region’s urban core cities and generate benefits for their residents as well as the region as a whole.

To help measure the progress that the region is making in developing a more healthy and strong urban core, indicator data and trends are also gathered specifically for the urban core cities of Springfield, Holyoke, and the sections of Chicopee that have higher concentrations of poverty (census tracts 8111.01, 8111.02, and 8109.02). This data can be found for current and past years on this Web site.