New Data Shows Strengths, Weaknesses In Western Norfolk County

MEDFIELD, MA — Communities in western Norfolk County have a steadily growing population and a high share of language diversity, but they also saw an increasing rate of child poverty and rapidly decreasing voter participation.

Those are just a few of the data points released Wednesday by the nonprofit Foundation for MetroWest. The nonprofit built a website called Impact MetroWest with data highlighting trends happening in 33 towns and cities between Route 128 and Worcester. The data detail everything from voter participation rates to car ownership and crime rates.

The data release is part of a larger project to highlight strengths and weaknesses in individual communities — and all the data is available to the public on the Impact MetroWest website. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito helped launch the site during an event in Natick on Wednesday morning.

"MetroWest residents see the changes taking place around them, but they may not understand what's driving those changes," foundation Executive Director Judy Salerno said in a press release. "Impact MetroWest illuminates a common path forward by providing tangible evidence of where we are as a region and generating conversations about where we want to go and how we can get there together."

Region wide, a sampling of data show that MetroWest is seeing an increase in childhood poverty, an increase in commute times, and a jump in opioid-related deaths. At the same time, high school graduation rates are increasing, so is access to entertainment options, and prekindergarten participation.

The data also examined specific counties within the region. In Norfolk County, the study looked at Bellingham, Dedham, Dover, Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Needham, Walpole, Wellesley and Westwood.

Here's what the data say about western Norfolk County:

• 6 percent of children and families live in poverty, trending up between 2014 and 2018
• 20 percent of families are headed by a single parent, also trending up
• The voter participation rate was 56 percent in 2018, a decrease over previous years
• The region's population has increased 8.5 percent since the year 2000
• Median household income was $99,511 in 2018, which is about flat over the years 2014-18
• 6 percent of residents live in poverty, an increase between 2014 and 2018
• A full set of county-specific stats can be found on the Impact MetroWest site.

The Foundation for MetroWest also announced a $250,000 grant fund on Wednesday backed by Natick-based MathWorks. Local nonprofits are welcome to apply for portions of that amount to work on problems highlighted by the data.