Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

The Katahdin Region has experienced significant socioeconomic change over the past few years and residents are actively exploring opportunities to make the region a more resilient and robust place to live, work, and play. To do so, community leaders need a current economic and social snapshot of the region so they can strategically apply resources and make informed decisions. As a result, members of the community have asked the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions to develop a framework to:

• Identify benchmark quantitative and qualitative indicators for measuring economic and community resilience, and use these to examine patterns of change in the various towns of the Katahdin Region over time;
• Compare these indicators and patterns with other areas that have similar socio-economic and geographical compositions;
• Identify the potential tipping points and policy levers associated with these indicators; and
• Define the measures of success that these metrics can help identify/quantify as the region moves forward.

Socioeconomic Indicator Factsheets

The first stage of this project was to collect and collate information on several socioeconomic indicators for the eight towns that comprise the greater Katahdin Region (Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway, Stacyville, Sherman, Patten, Mount Chase, and Island Falls). We compare these data over time as well as to Penobscot and Aroostook Counties, the State of Maine, and the United States. These indicators can help provide insight on where the area may be succeeding as well as opportunities for improvement.

The latest factsheets and data can be found here.

Resident Survey to Measure Community and Economic Well-being within the Katahdin Region

A key part of this research is to use surveys to collect information about resident perceptions of their communities and help gather ideas about how the area could grow socially and economically. As a result, we are asking residents from the Katahdin Region to fill out a questionnaire that asks a number of questions about the community that you live in. The purpose of the survey component of the study is to better understand resident’s views of community and economic well-being in the region.

More information on the survey can be found here.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Dr. Adam Daigneault at adam.daigneault@maine.edu.