State of the County, 2023
Berkshire Benchmarks recently released a State of the County Update for 2023.
The report builds on their State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year.
The purpose of the report is to highlight the region’s successes and challenges, providing a comprehensive overview of our region’s performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.
In 2023, housing and transportation costs as a percentage of income rose, with a significant increase in the population paying at least 45% of their income to these costs. The Berkshires also saw a significant increase in the number of second homes in the county.