American Dream case Study – Pennsylvania versus New York

Pennsylvania – Stimulating Job Creation and Business Growth

(PA Department of Community & Economic Development website)

New York – The Center of The Global Economy

(New York State Business First website)

Case Study

This is one in a series of case studies to illustrate how you can use the 2012 American Dream State Ranking Report data to identify the comparative strengths and weaknesses of your state for use in a SWOT analysis.

Analysis Approach

I compare the two states based on the 35 dimensions captured in the 2012 American Dream State Ranking Report.  In this analysis, an advantage is defined as equal to or greater than an index of 105 for a specific dimension score.  A disadvantage is defined as equal to or less than an index of 95 for a specific dimension score.

Identified Points Of Difference

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Additional Perspective

The ADCI data reflect the outlook of people living in each state.  Reasons why people responded as they did cannot be determined from these data.  However, understanding the why behind the what is important to being able to define strategies that can better enable people living in your state to achieve the American Dream.

To that end, I did a Google search to find some clues to shed light on the why.  This is not intended to be a complete, nor balanced comparison between the two states.  It is simply intended to suggest there may be an underlying reason why people living in each state responded as they did.  The next step should be for local economic development professionals to conduct market research with people living in their state in order to better understand the true drivers of why they are feeling the way they do.  The research could be qualitative, quantitative or a combination of both.

Google Search Findings

New York (#21) is ranked better than Pennsylvania (#37) based on cost-benefit.

• Source: TrueCost Blog. http://truecostblog.com/2012/01/01/us-state-economic-rankings/
  

New York is ranked #30 and Pennsylvania #32 as the best state to live.

• Source: StateMaster.com.  http://www.statemaster.com/graph/lif_bes_sta_to_liv-lifestyle-best-states-to-live

New York (#3) is ranked higher than Pennsylvania (#18) on education quality.

• Source: Education Week.  http://www.edweek.org

Median Household Income is higher in New York (#16)  than Pennsylvania (#23).

• Source: US Census. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_income

Pennsylvania (#21) ranked higher than New York (#50) in home ownership.

• Source: Corporation for Enterprise Development.  http://scorecard.assetsandopportunity.org/2013/state/pa

New York (#17) ranked higher than Pennsylvania (#22) in businesses and jobs.

• Source: Corporation for Enterprise Development.  http://scorecard.assetsandopportunity.org/2013/state/ny

Note:  It is interesting that I could not find an obvious reason for the lack of trust in government and business reported by people living in Pennsylvania versus New York.  One hypothesis is that the sentiment may be related to the impact of fear mongering by the anti-fracking activists operating in Pennsylvania.  Their basic message is about mistrust of the government’s ability to regulate the shale energy industry and mistrust of the energy companies business agenda.  Another hypothesis is the sentiment may be related to the increasing federal government pressure on the coal industry which has the potential to force many Pennsylvanians out of a job.  The coal industry plays a more significant role in the Pennsylvania economy than the New York economy.  It would be advantageous for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to conduct local market research to better understand the real drivers of the sentiment and then develop strategies to address the most important.

Interpretation

Remember, the American Dream Composite Index™ is a measure of sentiment.  It reveals what people living in a state do, strive for, work for, wish for, and ultimately hope for as they assume multiple roles, including but not limited to, consumers, parents, children, students, employees, employers, parishioners, voters, etc.

The survey conducted by Xavier University contains 139 statements pertaining to various aspects of the American Dream.  Responses comprise the 35 dimensions that ultimately make-up the ADCI.  The survey instrument has been statistically validated.

The ADCI data reveal HOW people living in a state feel about their personal well-being and environment.  However, the data do not explain WHY people feel the way they do.  The ADCI allows economic developers to better understand opportunities for improving their state’s ability to enable the American Dream.  It also helps them identify potential competitive advantages and vulnerabilities versus other states.

Interpret the survey data as “This is the way people living in my state feel about their ability to achieve their definition of the American Dream”.

Discussion

The intent behind sharing the study results is to raise important questions that are beyond the scope of these data to answer.  The kind of questions that, when answered, will provide you insight into which barriers to achieving the American Dream you should be working to remove.

I have no doubt some economic development professionals will be dissatisfied with their state’s rank.  This is totally understandable.  I am actually not thrilled with where my state  ended up in the ranking.

But, please don’t ignore the ranking.  Instead, use it to encourage local work in answering the WHY question.  Why do people living in your state feel the way they do?  Answering this question will provide valuable insights to use in your state’s economic development strategic planning process.

So, which states offer their residents the greatest chance of living the American Dream to the fullest, and which states are lagging behind?

To view the complete set of State rankings based on the ADCI and five explanatory sub-indexes, simply click this button

For additional information on the ADCI click HERE.