HEADWATERS ECONOMICS GEOGRAPHIC DATA LIBRARY DOCUMENTATION

TITLE: 	US Amenity Driven Growth Index
Dataset Name: 		Composite Index
Dataset Type: 		ACCESS

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: 
This composite index was designed to measure amenity driven growth and includes measures of growth, in-migration, amenities and some indicators that are often coincident with fast amenity driven community growth (such as the presence of sprawl and low housing affordability). The index is made up of 11 components.  One component (housing affordability) is flipped because there is usually an inverse relationship between fast growth and affordable housing.  Metadata file names are in parenthesis for more information.  
* Personal income 1990 to 2004 - Annualized percent change adjusted for inflation. (TBL_REIS.txt)
* Housing Affordability Index (flip sign) (US_HAfford.txt)
* Education - % of Adults with a BA or Greater. (TBL_Census.txt)
* Knowledge Based Jobs - % of jobs that are in occupations that require a college education. (TBL_Census.txt)
* Proximity to Federal Public Lands Managed for Conservation (Class 1+1a+2 – See Prosperity Report for more information. (US_FedLands.txt)	
* Presence of at least one major ski resorts (1 = yes, 0 = no)	
* Variation in Elevation	
* Migration Rate per 1000 per year (2000-2005) (TBL_Census.txt)	
* Census NAICS Groupings (% of total) - Producer	
* Share of Houses Constructed in the 90's (TBL_Census.txt)		
* Percent of Developable land in County that is in Exurban Blocks (2000)

Steps:
1. Calculate standard deviations from the mean for the 175 counties in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
2. Calculate the average of the 11 scores (equal weights).
3. Normalize the composite average in step 2.

 
DATA SOURCE(S): See above.
Date of Original Source Data:	REIS was 2004, Census was 2000

DATASET EXTENT:  4 Northwestern States (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana)

TABLES CODES AND VALUES: 

ITEM		ITEM DESCRIPTION
fips		5 digit county fips 
AGCompositeSTd	Normalized Composite Index

DATA LINEAGE SUMMARY: 
Calculated by Headwaters Economics.

          
HEADWATERS ECONOMICS CONTACT: 
Name:			Headwaters Economics Geographic Data Library
Abbr. Name:		HEGDL
Address:		Headwaters Economics
                       	Mail: P.O. Box 7059, 
				Bozeman MT 59771 
                        
Web site:		http://www.headwaterseconomics.org
Contact Person:  	Jeff van den Noort
Phone:   		(406)599-1653
Email:   		jeff at headwaterseconomics.org