Mid-Hudson Valley

Community engagement is the extent to which individuals take responsibility for addressing civic issues and improving the life of their community. In all cases, comparisons to state statistics reflect the state excluding New York City.

Average levels of charitable giving are below the state and the nation.
In 2016, average charitable contributions in the Mid-Hudson Valley region ranged from approximately $2,800 in Greene to $4,300 in Columbia, below the statewide and national average of $5,100 and $6,300 respectively.

Individuals’ average charitable giving was up 16% from approximately $3,100 in 2011, to just over $3,600 in 2016, below the increases at the state and national levels of 25% and 28% respectively over the same time period.

The region’s voter registration rates have remained steady at above 80%, yet they are persistently a bit lower than the state.
Between 2000 and 2017, the average voter registration rate was 82% for the Mid-Hudson region and 84% for the state. Of the region’s voting-age residents, 82% were registered in 2017, compared to 84% of the state overall.

Voter registration rates vary somewhat across the region. Columbia County’s registration rate has been equal to or greater than the statewide rate in every year except 2000. In 2017, Columbia County (88%) had the highest registration rate of the seven counties.

Voter turnout in the region approaches 60% in presidential election years, and is about even with the state rate.
In the 2016 presidential election, voter turnout in the region was 1 point lower than the state at 56%. Turnout was highest in Columbia and Putnam counties at 62%.

INDICATORS	TREND \| STATE
Children Living in Poverty	Increasing
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity	Decreasing
Single-Parent Families	Increasing
Single-Parent Families, by Race/Ethnicity	Decreasing
Rate of Child Abuse and Neglect	Increasing
Rate of Foster Care Admissions	Maintaining
Teen Pregnancy	Decreasing
Live Births to Teen Mothers	Decreasing
Juvenile Delinquency Intakes	Decreasing
Bullying at School	Decreasing
Average Charitable Giving	Increasing
Voter Registration Rate	Increasing
Voter Participation Rate	Increasing
Total Population	Increasing
Population by Age	Decreasing
Population by Race/Ethnicity	Increasing
Household Types	Increasing
Change in Total Jobs	Increasing
Foreign-Born Population	Increasing
Employment by Sector	Not Applicable
Spending for County Government	Increasing
Tourism Revenue	Increasing
Preschoolers Receiving Special Education Services	Increasing
Prekindergarten Participation	Increasing
Students Receiving Special Education Services	Increasing
Per-Student Spending	Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Student Group	Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Race/Ethnicity	Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Student Group	Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Race/Ethnicity	Increasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate	Increasing
High School Cohort Dropout Rate	Decreasing
High School GED Rate	Decreasing
Plans of High School Graduates	Increasing
Education Levels of Adults	Increasing
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity	Increasing
Median Household Income	Decreasing
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity	Decreasing
People Living in Poverty	Increasing
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity	Increasing
Seniors Living in Poverty	Decreasing
Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care	Maintaining
Veterans Living in Poverty	Maintaining
Economically Disadvantaged Students	Increasing
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation	Maintaining
Living Wage Rate by Household Type	Increasing
Income in Relation to Poverty Level	Maintaining
People Without Health Insurance	Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care, by Mother's Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Domestic Violence	Increasing
Deaths from Drug Overdoses	Increasing
Babies with Low Birth Weights	Maintaining
People Living wth HIV	Decreasing
Mental Health Clinic Visits	Decreasing
Homeownership Rates	Maintaining
Homeless Persons	Decreasing
Housing Affordability for Homeowners	Maintaining
Housing Affordability for Renters	Increasing
Violent Crimes	Decreasing

INDICATORS

TREND | STATE

Average Charitable Giving

Increasing

Voter Registration Rate

Increasing

Voter Participation Rate

Increasing