Essential Metrics

The New Standard in Market Intelligence for
Planning and Economic Development Professionals

What is it? Essential Metrics is insightful and user-friendly market trend data and analysis tailored to specific counties and regions. Based on years of performing market studies around the country, 4ward Planning has identified the critical demographic, labor, industry, and real estate data trends that county and regional planning and economic development professionals require to make informed policy and investment decisions. Essential Metrics market reports are designed for easy printing and online hosting, and can be inexpensively updated on an annual basis.

Why do you need it? Your organization’s time and financial resources are limited, and producing a comparable market assessment for your county or region is likely beyond the limits of both. Your focus should be on digesting market intelligence and recommending actions based on that intelligence – not spending a good deal of time and money assembling, formatting, and updating data.

Who benefits? While Essential Metrics is ideally suited for planning and economic development professionals representing county government, MPOs and RPOs, many local planners and economic development professionals, as well as consulting firms developing county and regional plans will also greatly benefit from the report’s market insights. Further, the clean and straightforward presentation of trend data and analysis (including audio narration) is well-suited for sharing with planning commissions and elected officials.

Features & Benefits:

  • Easily accessible on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones
  • A hard copy of the report can also be easily printed and distributed
  • Standardized data for easy comparison across geographies and time periods
  • Concise text and intuitive graphics makes comprehension easy
  • Designed to be quickly and easily updated on an annual basis
  • Can be utilized in comprehensive plans
  • An excellent source for keeping elected officials and the general public informed of important socio-economic trends

This is the tool you wish you had last year

Trend Analysis Categories Covered by Essential Metrics:

  • People – Population Change; Population Patterns; Migration Flows; Race; Median Age; Age and Gender;  Prime Working and Shopping Age Groups
  • Households – Household Formation; Housing Tenure; Household Income; Poverty Rates
  • Labor and Industry – Educational Attainment; Earnings by Education; Total Employment; Top Industries; Employment Change by Industry; Average Salary; Earnings Change over Time; Earnings by Age Group; Job Inflow and Outflow; Unemployment Rates; Labor Force Participation Rates, Industry Clusters
  • Housing – Occupancy and Vacancy Rates; Building Permits; Housing Sales Statistics; Apartment Rent Statistics; Fair Market Rents
  • Retail – Number of Large Shopping Centers; Total Square Footage of Shopping Center Space; Occupancy and Vacancy Rates; Lease Rates*
  • Office – Number of Office Buildings; Total Square Footage of Office Buildings; Occupancy and Vacancy Rates; Lease Rates*

*Detailed retail and office real estate data (e.g. total square footage, lease/sale prices points, occupancy and vacancy rates) is not available for all jurisdictions and is available at an additional cost, where available.