Facts about Franklin County, MA - FRCOG

Facts about Franklin County, MA

April 2013

Location Located in the upper Connecticut River valley area of western Massachusetts,

Franklin County borders Vermont and New Hampshire to the north. Geographically, Franklin County is bisected by the Connecticut River with the

Berkshire hills to the west and the Pelham hills and Quabbin Reservoir to the east. The 724 square miles of Franklin County is the most rural area of the

Commonwealth, with an estimated population density of less than 102 people per square mile, compared to approximately 835 per square mile for the state. According to 2005 land use data, 77% of Franklin County was forestland. Population According to the federal 2010 Census, the twenty-six municipalities of Franklin County ranged in size from Greenfield with a population of 17,456, to Monroe with a population of 121. Approximately 46% of county residents live in communities with a population of less than 5,000. As of the 2010 Census, the Franklin County total population was 71,372. Franklin County experienced its greatest population increases in the 1970s and 1980s. By the 1990s, the population growth slowed to a modest rate of 2.1% for the decade. In the last decade, a relatively stagnant population trend continued, resulting in a population loss (-0.2%) from 2000 to 2010. Franklin County was one of three counties in the Commonwealth that lost population from 2000 to 2010. The other two counties were neighboring Berkshire County and Barnstable County (Cape Cod). The growth rate for the state was 3.1% and for the nation was 9.7% during this period. For neighboring Windham County, VT and Cheshire County, NH, the growth rates were 0.7% and 4.4%, respectively. The population trends experienced in the last decade were not uniform throughout Franklin County. Five communities (Monroe, Erving, Rowe, Leverett and Gill) had population increases of greater than 10% for the period of 2000 to 2010. For this same time period, six towns (Wendell, Heath, Shelburne, Leyden, Colrain, and Charlemont) had population decreases of greater than -5%. The greatest total population increase was in Orange (321 people) and the greatest population loss was in Greenfield (-712).

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Transportation

The primary north-south transportation highway for western New England is I-91, which passes through the center of Franklin County. Similarly, the primary transportation corridor along the east-west northern tier of Massachusetts is Route 2, which traverses the width of Franklin County.

The cities of Worcester, Springfield, and Hartford are each within a one-hour drive from Franklin County, while Boston and Albany are within a two-hour drive and New York City is within a 3.5-hour drive.

Franklin County has two municipal, general aviation airports: Turners Falls Airport and Orange Municipal Airport. The Orange Airport is classified as a limited commercial airport which can accommodate jet traffic, and is also home to the nation's first commercial skydiving center.

The Bradley International Airport near Hartford is a one-hour drive from Franklin County. In addition to this airport, there are four international airports located within 2?-hour drive: Boston Logan International Airport, Albany International Airport, T. F. Green International Airport in Providence, and Manchester Airport in New Hampshire.

Fixed-route public transit services are provided by the Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA). The hub for FRTA transit services is the John W. Olver Transit Center in downtown Greenfield, which opened in 2012 as the nation's first net-zero energy intermodal center.

Franklin County has an extensive east-west and north-south rail network. For the past 30 years, this network has only been accessible for freight purposes. However, a recent federal award is funding track upgrades and a new stop at the John W. Olver Transit Center in Greenfield that will provide access to Amtrak's Vermonter passenger rail service by 2014.

Employment

The labor force is defined as the pool of individuals who are 16 years of age and over, and are either employed or who are actively seeking employment. In 2012, Franklin County had a labor force of 38,466. The size of the labor force has steadily declined since 2006. From 2006 to 2012, the Franklin County labor force declined by 3.1%, while the state labor force increased by 1.7%.

The unemployment rate describes the percentage of people in the labor force who are presently not employed, but are actively seeking employment in a given time period. Since 2000, the Franklin County unemployment rate has been lower than both the state and national rates. In 2012, Franklin County had an unemployment rate of 6.3%, which was lower than the state's unemployment rate of 6.7% and the national rate of 8.1%. The 2010 rates for Franklin County (7.8%) and Massachusetts (8.3%) were the highest rates experienced since the early 1990s.

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 The total number of "non-employer" establishments in Franklin County in 2010 was 6,068 with a gross receipt for sales, commissions and income of $208,852,000. These establishments often represent self-employed workers, such as independent contractors or consultants. The highest level of these firms was 6,224 in 2009. From 2009 to 2010, Franklin County had a decline in these establishments by -2.5%, unlike the state and national levels that had a modest growth (0.2% and 1.9%, respectively).

The Franklin-Hampshire Regional Employment Board leads the region's workforce development system to support both businesses and workers, and has pioneered programs in the select sectors, including the green economy.

Income

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) demonstrate how the region's income levels are comparable to the nation, but are significantly less than the state and New England. For example, the 2007-2011 ACS Five Year Estimate median household income for the County was $52,246, which was slightly greater than the nation ($52,762) and considerably less than the state ($65,981). There were seven towns estimated to have a higher median household income than the state, and six towns with an income lower than the nation.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's ACS show the region's poverty rates are slightly higher than the state, but considerably less than the nation. For example, the 20072011 Five Year Estimate for Franklin County had a poverty rate of 11.9%, while the nation's rate was 14.3% and the state's rate was 10.7%.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Franklin County has consistently had among the lowest per capita income rates of all counties in Massachusetts (fourth lowest of fourteen). The BEA reported that the 2011 per capita income for Franklin County was $42,588, which was slightly higher than the nation ($41,560) and significantly lower than the state ($53,471).1

Franklin County has consistently had the lowest average wage per job of all fourteen counties in Massachusetts since 2000. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the 2011 average wage per job in Franklin County was $36,091, which was significantly lower than both national ($47,046) and state ($56,882) averages.

Business & Industry

According to the Commonwealth's Employment and Wages Report, there were 2,310 establishments (private and public sector) in Franklin County in 2011. This was an increase of 5.6% from 2009, which was comparable to rate of growth experienced by the state (5.7%) for the same period.

1 Please note that both the American Community Survey and the Bureau of Economic Analysis are within the U.S. Department of Commerce; however, they each employ different methodologies for calculating per capita income.

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 According to Commonwealth statistics, the average monthly employment of workers in Franklin County was 25,729 in 2011. Of these workers, 16% were employed by government, compared to 13% statewide. Between 2009 and 2011, the average monthly employment level for workers in government and the private sector grew by 0.3% in Franklin County, while the state grew 1.8%.

Federal sources provide statistics about the number of workers employed by private sector employers located in Franklin County. As of 2011, the largest private sector industry was manufacturing, with 18.4% of total private sector employment. This is a significantly higher proportion than compared to the state (7.6%) and the nation (9.7%). The region's primary manufacturing sub-sectors include the production of plastics and rubber products (over 908 jobs), fabricated metal products and metalworking (405 jobs), as well as candle-making, food products, and paper product manufacturing.

Franklin County has a significant proportion of its workers in the public and private sector educational services industry. For the public sector, this includes K-12 local schools, Greenfield Community College, and Franklin County residents working at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In the private sector, there are several independent secondary schools in Franklin County as well as higher educational institutions located in nearby Hampshire County.

The agricultural, forestry and fisheries sector in Franklin County is important to the region's current economic base as well as to maintaining its rural historic character and quality of life. These natural resources are also the focus of new business opportunities in emerging clusters, such as specialty food production, eco-tourism, value-added wood products, and more.

According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, there were 741 farms in Franklin County, which was a 25% increase from 2002. This increase resulted from the establishment of new small farm operations. At the same time, there were losses of some of the larger farm operations during this period, which are seen in the economic statistics on a per farm basis. These figures demonstrate the challenges of remaining viable in the agricultural industry and the need to continue to support this important sector.

There are several smaller economic clusters in Franklin County that play an important role in diversifying the regional economy and are anticipated for continued growth. These clusters include: specialty food product manufacturing, natural resources based recreational tourism, creative arts (specifically photography, glassblowing and pottery), and renewable energy and energy efficiency.

There are six planned industrial parks located in Franklin County. They are located in Deerfield, Greenfield, Montague, Orange and Whately. Opened in 2000, the Randall Park Industrial Park in Orange is the newest and has over 27 acres ready to be developed.

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 In Fiscal Year 2013, commercial and industrial tax rates in the region ranged from a low of $12.99 per thousand in Shelburne to a high of $32.19 per thousand in Monroe. The median commercial and industrial tax rate in Franklin County was between $15.40 and $16.29 per thousand.

In addition to several strong locally-based banks and national banking institutions, the region also has alternative lenders present to support business and start-up operations. These include the Franklin County Community Development Corporation and the Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund.

Franklin County has a slightly higher percentage of small business, than compared to the state or nation. In 2011, 88% of Franklin County private sector employers had fewer than 20 employees; while it was 86% for both the state and nation.

The Greater Franklin County Economic Target Area (ETA) allows for participating municipalities to offer local and state tax incentives that promote job creation/retention, attract new business investment, and encourage existing businesses to expand. Twenty-five of the 26 Franklin County towns are part of the designated ETA region.

There are presently nine Franklin County towns with qualifying census tracts eligible for the federal New Market Tax Credit Program. They are: Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Greenfield, Monroe, Montague, Orange, and Rowe.

Infrastructure & Utilities

There are two primary transmission and distribution power utilities that serve Franklin County. Western Massachusetts Electric Company (a division of Northeast Utilities) serves fifteen towns, and National Grid serves ten towns, while the Town of Erving is served by both companies.

Interest in renewable energy sources and energy conservation measures are actively being explored at the local level. Fifteen of twenty-six Franklin County towns have been designated a Green Community by the Commonwealth. From 2010 to 2012, there were 43 solar photovoltaic projects and one wind power project installed in Franklin County, which have a total capacity of over 1,300kW annually.

There exist 35 hydropower plants in the three-county Pioneer Valley region, which produced 30.27 MW of electricity as of 2002. These facilities include generators originally built to serve factories along canals, as well as large scale power generators. In Franklin County, the largest generator is the Northfield Mountain pumped storage hydroelectric facility owned by FirstLight Power Resources.

Infrastructure to distribute natural gas is available in five Franklin County towns: Deerfield, Greenfield, Montague, Sunderland, and Whately. The system is owned and operated by Berkshire Gas, headquartered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

For many of the communities in Franklin County, access to telecommunications services is very limited. Only half of the towns in Franklin County have cable television systems. Twenty-two of the twenty-six towns have access to DSL

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