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  • ABOUT

 

Currency and Frequency of the Data

 

The Index primarily uses secondary sources of data from federal and state agencies. Using secondary data sources keeps the cost of developing the annual Livability Index low. As an example, the economic section of the Index shows Routt County’s economy had a relative rate of change of a positive 11 percent. This is accurate based on the year the data were collected, but does not reflect the local economic activity of the past year. In future years, we will face the same issue only in reverse as the Index may likely be down and the economy may be improving. There is an inherent lag in secondary data; however, when used to in comparison to similar counties it serves to identify trends that are currently occurring.

Details of the Index RCLI=.99

It is important to note the difference between indexing and ranking. Both indexing and ranking involve the tracking of consistently measured data. Ranking, however, compares unique data sets to each other periodically, whereas indexing measures the change of comparable data sets to each other over time. It is the change factor of indexing that gives us an accurate view of our position relative to other comparable counties. Indexing is an excellent tool to monitor change.

In order to create an index that is accurate and useful over time, an initial numerical baseline for a given subject (Routt County, in this case) is established as a value of 1.0. This baseline was established beginning with the 2008 Index as it is the most current year for which complete and accurate data is available. In future years, the Index will not only show the change occurring between counties but also the rate of that change. As more data is collected over time, the more useful the Index will become as a tool to guide civic decisions.

To illustrate this, in 2008 Routt County was assigned a value of 1.0 for all measurements. If in 2009, Routt County should decrease by 5 percent, effectively ranking “worse” the Index would be 0.95. If the county should rank “better” by 5 percent, the Index would be 1.05. Routt County’s index is displayed within each measurement and appears as follows throughout the Index.

RCLI:0.99

Two of the features of the Index are that it calculates the absolute change as well as the relative rate of change. This relative rate of change is designed not only to show whether a measurement in Routt County went up or down, but more importantly, it also shows how fast it changed in comparison to the rate of change in the other counties. The presentation of the relative rate of change will be provided in the How-To Guide.

The goal of using this format is to make the Index simple and understandable. The Index strives to maintain the highest level of data integrity. Behind the charts, there are a variety of mathematical calculations, and more than 90 data sources were used in the compilation of this report. For those readers so inclined, please go to RCEDC’s website at www.livabilityindex.com or call 970-870-4461 for more information.

RCLI Complementary to the Community Indicators Project
and Vision 2030

The Yampa Valley Partners Community Indicators Project (CIP) has been providing time/series data for Moffat and Routt counties since 1996. The Routt County Livability Index (RCLI) has built on the success of the CIP and used many of the same data sources. Vision 2030 documented what elements of community character the citizens of Routt County value the most. Following the completion of their efforts, a committee was formed to monitor the stewardship of these characteristics. The RCLI can become an excellent tool to support the Vision 2030 Stewardship Committee’s on-going efforts. The RCLI complements both these initiatives by combining select quantitative measurements found in the CIP with the stewardship focus found in Vision 2030. This combination results in measuring the identified characteristics of “livability” in an objective data-driven manner.

Winning businesses know it is necessary to measure what you want to improve and you improve those things you measure. This truism can be applied at the community level. The RCLI is first and foremost a unique quantitative/qualitative measurement tool. It allows for the measurement of “livability” annually. It identifies those areas where progress is being made or maintained and areas where we need to be vigilant and allocate resources to improve. The relative rate of change and where we rank as compared to other Core Counties is of significant importance.