Over 100 individuals and organizations from around the county participated
in developing a set of qualitative indicators, or data points, for our region.
The community can use these indicators to determine what areas we are doing
well in and what areas need improvement and to help chart a course for future
efforts. Berkshire Benchmarks will track these indicators over time.

Eight sectors, plus general demographics, help organize the wealth of data
on the region and focus our efforts. Sector committees met to discuss what was
most important to the region and how best to paint a picture of the sector
through indicators.

Because the indicators for each sector only tell part of the story,
Berkshire Benchmarks also developed a survey to gain further insight into the
population from a qualitative standpoint. Each sector’s page contains its
quantitative indicators and survey results, along with a summary of existing
efforts to improve the region within that sector. 

Comparable counties outside Berkshire County are also included in the
indicators, where possible. These comparable counties can serve as an aspirational
benchmark to help determine how the county is doing compared to other regions. Berkshire
County is unique, and no other county matches it exactly, but the chosen counties
have an industry mix similar to the Berkshires, have a cultural and outdoor
recreation focus, a similar density, and a larger percentage of second homes
than the country as a whole. These counties also have name recognition, making
them easy to visualize and understand.