COMMUNITY BENCHMARKING DASHBOARD
Welcome to the York County Community Dashboard. As a critical part of the York County Economic Action Plan (EAP) 2025 Update, this dashboard provides a detailed look at how York County is performing relative to the goals it set in the 2020 EAP, as well as compared to several peer communities.
The dashboard considers a range of data metrics related to the EAP’s pillars: Workforce & Economic Mobility, Future of Industry, Entrepreneurship, Rural Economy, Infrastructure & Built Environment, and Quality of Life/Quality of Place. It is designed to give York County leaders a clear view into progress toward the 10-Year EAP’s stated goals, and help guide where the county should focus its efforts over the next five years.
Benchmark Communities
Five peer communities were selected for comparative benchmarking within the dashboard, selected for their relative similarities to York County in factors like population size, demographics, main industry drivers, and in some cases, physical proximity.
Data Explorer
The dashboard scores York County alongside its five other peer communities across the six pillars of the EAP: workforce & economic mobility, future of industry, entrepreneurship, infrastructure & built environment, rural economy, and quality of life & place. More information about the data indicators considered in the dashboard scoring is found below.
Workforce & Economic Mobility
The original EAP envisioned a York County that excels in preparing a pipeline of skilled workers and connecting them to quality employment opportunities in large and growing industries. The metrics in this category capture a sense of York County’s relative positioning in terms of workforce strength and economic opportunity.
Future of Industry
The 2020 EAP sought to ensure that employers in York County have what they need to be able to create the economic opportunities that drive growth and prosperity for all, now and into the future. To do this, York County needed to ensure quality economic opportunities for all residents by supporting employers in targeted industries. Here, we compare York County and its peers according to share of new businesses created in key sectors, average annual earnings, and net job creation.
Entrepreneurship
The 2020 EAP set a goal of boosting the number of entrepreneurs in the county and ensuring assets are available and accessible to aid in their success. These data points provide insight into the entrepreneurial landscape for York County compared to its peers and strides towards increased opportunity within it.
Rural Economy
Rural economy means building municipal capacity and coordination to increase services and economic opportunity in rural areas and throughout the county, as outlined in the 2020 EAP. To understand York County’s relative strength in this pillar, we included metrics regarding broadband access, share of employment in rural businesses, change in farm sales, and rural health ratings.
Infrastructure & Built Environment
York County highlighted supporting economic growth through new development and redevelopment of the built environment within established growth areas under its understanding of the future of infrastructure and the built environment for the region in the 2020 EAP.
Quality of Life & Quality of Place
In the 2020 EAP, York County emphasized its goal of fostering a more connected and engaged community that supports diverse arts, culture, and recreation assets across the county. To assess this pillar for York County, we included metrics for civic engagement (as measured by voter participation), transit service, and acres of park space.
