What does this indicator measure?

This indicator is a measure of several factors that have been found to have an effect on volunteering in an area across the Syracuse, Albany, Buffalo, and Rochester MSA’s (see note below).  The measures are also presented for New York State and the United States.  The factors are:

• Homeownership Rate
• Multi-Unit Housing Rate
• Commuting Time
• Poverty Rate
• Unemployment Rate
• Change in Foreclosure Rate
• Percent of Residents with a High School Education
• Percent of Residents with a College Degree
• Number of Non-Profits per 1000 Residents

Notes: There are two important things to note about this data.  First, the results are based on 3 year averages (2008-2010) of annual participation.  Three years data was collected, and then averaged out annually.  Second, the results are based on the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA’s), NOT the cities listed or their respective counties.  An MSA is defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a geographic entity that contains a core urban area population of 50,000 or more and includes the county where the core area is located and may include adjacent counties that have a high degree of societal and economic integration with that urban core. The Syracuse MSA is a 3,083 square-mile area which consists of Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties.