Economic issues are major concerns for residents throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley. In fact, keeping businesses in the area and reducing taxes are among the leading priorities for residents overall, trumped only by affordable health care. Creating
more jobs also ranks among the top ten priorities for residents of the Mid-Hudson
Valley.
Keeping businesses in the area is a major concern for many Mid-Hudson Valley residents. It receives a mean score of 7.9 on a scale from 0 to 10 with 10 being the most important. Read more
In the past five years, the issue of taxes has become one of the top concerns for people living in the Mid-Hudson Valley. It now receives an average score of 7.9 out of a high score of 10 from Mid-Hudson Valley residents. This is an increase from the average score of 7.3 it received in 2002. Read more
Creating more jobs is also an important priority for many Mid-Hudson Valley residents. With an average score of 7.6 this issue is now the sixth highest ranked issue. Read more
Residents of the Mid-Hudson Valley are generally dissatisfied with the quality of jobs in the region. Almost one-quarter describes them as poor and about one-third considers the quality of jobs to be only fair. Read more
The majority of residents feel their community needs to do more to improve jobs. 54% of Mid-Hudson Valley residents believe their community allocates too few resources toward improving jobs in the region. Only a little over one-third believes community spending toward this goal is about right. Read more
How Affordable is Life in the Mid-Hudson Region (This section may be found in Making Ends Meet) The perception that the Mid-Hudson Valley is not an affordable place to live for the average family is commonly held among residents of the region. 64% of residents say the Mid-Hudson region is unaffordable including more than one out of ten residents who describes the region as not affordable at all. Read more
Managing the Family Budget (This section may be found in Making Ends Meet) The financial strain experienced by many residents in the Mid-Hudson region is particularly evident when they are asked to evaluate the affect of a number of expenses on their household budget. People express concern about the pressure placed on their family finances by the cost for transportation, utilities, taxes, housing, tuition, health care, and child care. Read more
Property taxes place a financial burden on the finances of many Mid-Hudson Valley residents. 58% of residents in the region are adversely affected by these costs. 30% of Mid-Hudson Valley residents say paying these expenses puts a great deal of strain on their family budget and another 28% believe they cause a good deal of financial stress. Read more
Working in the Mid-Hudson Valley (This section may be found in Making Ends Meet) Most Mid-Hudson Valley residents are not satisfied with the jobs available in their community. 58% of Mid-Hudson Valley residents do not describe the quality of jobs positively. Over one-third of residents in the region, 37%, rates creating quality jobs a ten the highest score on a scale from 0 to 10 as a priority for their community. Read more
People Doing Without (This section may be found in Making Ends Meet) A considerable proportion of Mid-Hudson Valley households experience major financial need. Residents were asked if they had experienced each of several economic difficulties in the past twelve months. These difficulties included problems paying for food, housing costs, utility bills, or medical treatment. Read more
People Coming and Going (This section may be found in Making Ends Meet) Although two-thirds of all Mid-Hudson Valley residents have lived in the region for more than a decade, a considerable proportion of residents have moved to the area in the past five years. One in five residents is new to the Mid-Hudson Valley having moved into their community within the last five years. Read more
Overall, concern about economic issues transcends county lines, race, and socioeconomic background. The importance of jobs, taxes, and keeping businesses in the area extends throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Anxiety over the local tax burden has grown over the past five years, and it is now widespread throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley. Many residents also continue to think the region should work to prevent businesses from leaving the area.
Residents are generally dissatisfied with the current employment options in the region, as well. Many people think their community should expend more
resources toward improving the quality of jobs.This sentiment is particularly expressed among residents who are the
most economically vulnerable.
