One stop to gather information

MOSCOW - A new website aims to make it easier to find and analyze state and federal data for Idaho's counties and American Indian reservations.

Developed by the University of Idaho's Office of Community Partnerships, www.indicatorsidaho.org offers up-to-date, user-friendly socioeconomic data that can help researchers understand community characteristics and trends.

"Local residents, businesses, and community leaders need accurate data quickly for grant proposals, program development, and identifying business opportunities," said Priscilla Salant, director of OCP. "Our goal is to help people find reliable, timely information quickly and without difficulty."

New data from federal and state sources are posted on Indicators Idaho immediately after release.

The website presents data for 47 county and 11 reservation indicators including unemployment, wages, household income, educational attainment, poverty, crime, teen pregnancy, housing affordability and more.

Data comes from a variety of government agencies, including the Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Labor.

"Our website makes data collection simple," said Christy Dearien, the website's manager and a research associate at the community partnership office. "Rather than searching through multiple government websites, people can use Indicators Idaho to easily access data on a wide range of topics."

The website's target audience includes grant writers, local decision-makers, nonprofits, educators and students, among others.

Those needing more in-depth information to answer specific questions can hire OCP to gather, analyze and present data.

OCP recently prepared a series of data and reports for topics of interest to the Bonner Boundary Priority Planning project in northern Idaho. The group used the information to focus on top community priorities related to economic development and education.

Info: cdearien@uidaho.edu or www.uidaho.edu/communitypartnerships