| Summary | Current Year Regional Trends |
Past Years' Regional Trends |
Current Year Urban Core Trends |
Past Years' Urban Core Trends |
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| Current Year Regional Trends: 2009 Update | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strengthen & Expand the Region's Economic Base | Foster Means of Regional Competitiveness | Supply the Region with an Educated, Skilled, and Adequately Sized Pool of Workers | Foster the Region's Business Climate and Prospects for Sustainable Growth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Above on MCAS Third Grade English Language (Reading) TestDescription:The percent of students scoring proficient or above on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) English Language test includes all students scoring “Proficient” or “Above Proficient,” and was calculated by dividing the percent of students who received these scores on the test by the total number of students in the region who took the test. Between 2008 and 2009 the Pioneer Valley saw a 2.8% increase (from 49.6% to 52.4%) in the number of students who scored proficient or above on the MCAS third grade English language test. Of the three counties, Hampden County was the only county to experience an increase (4.0%), while Hampshire County decreased by 0.1% and Franklin County experienced no significant change.
Percent of Students Passing the MCAS Tenth Grade Math TestDescription:The Percent of students passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) math test was calculated by dividing the percent of students who passed the test by the total number of students in the region who took the test. Overall, between 2008 and 2009, the Pioneer Valley saw a 0.8% increase (from 86.6% to 87.4%) in the number of students who passed the MCAS math test. Hampden and Hampshire counties both experienced increases (0.8% and 1.7% respectively), and Franklin County had a decrease of 0.2% students passing the MCAS tenth grade math test.
Percent of Students Passing the MCAS Tenth Grade English TestDescription:The percent of students passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tenth grade English test was calculated by dividing the percent of students who passed the test by the total number of students in the region who took the test. Overall, between 2008 and 2009, the Pioneer Valley saw a slight decrease of 0.1% (from 93.6% to 93.5%) in the number of students who passed the MCAS English test. Hampden and Hampshire counties both saw a slight decrease of 0.1%, while Franklin County’s proportion of students passing the MCAS English test increased by 0.8%.
Dropout Rate of High School StudentsDescription:Dropout rates are the percentage of all 9th through 12th grade students who drop out of high school in a single year (the annual dropout rate). The Pioneer Valley saw a decreased dropout rate between 2007 and 2008; from 5.6 to 4.9 percent.
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Educational attainment is calculated by determining the percentage of the population above the age of 25 who have at least an Associate’s degree, including those who have attained more advanced degrees (Bachelor’s, Graduate or Professional). Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of the Pioneer Valley workforce who were college graduates increased from 18.5% to 25.5% representing a 7% increase. This increased educational attainment was a trend that held true for all three counties individually as Hampshire County had an increase of 6%, Hampden County had an increase of 2.8%, and Franklin County had an increase of 4.8 percent.
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The percent of older workers who remain engaged in the workforce is calculated by dividing the number of people between the ages 55 to 75 years old who are in the labor force by the total number of people between the ages of 55 to 75 years old. Between 2007 and 2008, the percent of older workers who remain engaged in the workforce in the Pioneer Valley increased from 52.2 to 55.6 percent. Hampden County experienced a large increase of 4.3%, while Hampshire County and Franklin County experienced smaller increases of 2.6% and 2.2 % respectively.
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The median age of the region's workforce is the middle age of all people engaged in the labor force between the ages of 16-64 years old. In the Pioneer Valley, the median age of the workforce increased by 9.3% between 1990 and 2000. Trends followed consistent patterns in the three counties. Each county’s median worker age increased. Hampden County had an 8.6 % increase in median worker age, while Hampshire and Franklin Counties both experienced 11.1% increases.
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Indicator Trend
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Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC)
60 Congress Street • Springfield, MA 01104-3419 www.pvpc.org
For more information on the State of the Region and Plan for Progress Performance Indicators,
contact the PVPC's
Regional Information & Policy Center at (413) 781-6045