HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024 National Community Survey PresentationRochester, MN
The National Community Survey
2024 Results
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Resident Surveys in Local Governance
Monitor trends
in resident
opinion
Measure
government
performance
Inform budget,
land use,
strategic
planning
decisions
Benchmark
against other
communities
The NCS Facets of Community Livability
Economy
Mobility
Community
Design Utilities
Safety
Natural
Environment
Parks &
Recreation Health and
Wellness
Education,
Arts, &
Culture
Inclusivity &
Engagement
The National Community Survey in Rochester
The NCS for Rochester, MN
●Second time conducting The NCS (previous survey in 2022)
●Survey conducted from July 19, 2024 – August 25, 2024
●Mailing approach employed:
●Probability-based sample of 4,200 randomly selected households
●633 total responses received
●16% overall response rate
●Non-probability, open-participation survey: 493 responses
●Results statistically weighted to reflect Rochester overall
●95% confidence interval with a +/- 4% margin of error
Polco’s Benchmarking Database
More than
500
comparison
communities
across the
nation.
Representing
the opinions
of more than
50 million
residents.
Overview of
Survey Results
Facets of Community Livability: Quality
83%
81%
46%
59%
74%
76%
77%
62%
63%
73%
Residents' connection and engagement with their community
Overall opportunities for education, culture, and the arts
Overall health and wellness opportunities
Overall quality of parks and recreation opportunities
Overall quality of natural environment
Overall feeling of safety
Overall quality of the utility infrastructure
Overall design or layout of residential and commercial areas
Overall quality of the transportation system
Overall economic health
Higher
Similar
Lower
National
Benchmark
Comparisons:
Percent excellent or good
Facets of Community Livability: Importance
62%
68%
70%
76%
77%
86%
82%
69%
76%
85%
Residents' connection and engagement with their community
Overall opportunities for education, culture, and the arts
Overall health and wellness opportunities
Overall quality of parks and recreation opportunities
Overall quality of natural environment
Overall feeling of safety
Overall quality of the utility infrastructure
Overall design or layout of residential and commercial areas
Overall quality of the transportation system
Overall economic health
Higher
Similar
Lower
National
Benchmark
Comparisons:
Percent essential or very important
Balancing Quality and Importance
Comparisons
to National
Benchmarks
13 received higher ratings
108 received similar ratings
2 received lower ratings
Comparisons
to Previous
Survey (2022)
32 received higher ratings
82 received similar ratings
9 received lower ratings
Key Findings
Safety remains
strong in
Rochester, with
residents
reporting feeling
safe in all
aspects of the
community.
1
Safety in Rochester
88%
83%
77%
89%
93%
From fire, flood, or natural disaster
From violent crime
From property crime
In the downtown/commercial area during the day
In your neighborhood during the day
Higher
Similar
Lower
National
Benchmark
Comparison
Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel:
Percent very or somewhat safe
Safety in Rochester by demographic
80%
84%
81%
70%
68%
76%
65%
Own
Rent
Housing tenure
Less than 5 years
6 - 10 years
More than 11 years
Length of residency
Yes
No
Disability
Feeling safe from property crime
Percent very or somewhat safe
84%
85%
70%
79%
77%
66%
Ward 6
Ward 5
Ward 4
Ward 3
Ward 2
Ward 1
Area
Rochester continues
to be a desirable
place to work, with
above-average
employment
opportunities.
2
Economy in Rochester
67%
78%
30%
41%
57%
62%
72%
73%
40%
Cost of living
Rochester as a place to visit
Vibrancy of downtown/commercial area
Variety of business and service establishments
Economic development
Employment opportunities
Overall quality of business and service establishments
Overall economic health
Rochester as a place to work
Higher
Similar
Lower
National
Benchmark
Comparison
Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel:
percent excellent or good
Economy in Rochester by demographic
47%
63%
48%
71%
24%
44%
61%
49%
61%
33%
60%
76%
72%
82%
63%
Shopping opportunities
Employment opportunities
Variety of business and service
establishments
Overall quality of business and
service establishments
Rochester as a place to visit
55+35-54 18-34
Age
27%
57%
50%
65%
57%
30%
53%
44%
74%
41%
31%
50%
38%
72%
34%
42%
37%
31%
86%
27%
Cost of living
Shopping opportunities
Vibrancy of
downtown/commercial area
Overall economic health
Rochester as a place to visit
$200,000 or more
$100,000 to $199,999
Income
Rochester remains to
be a desirable place to
live, though slight
decreases were
observed in both the
overall quality of life
and the City as a place
to live.
3
Overall Community Quality
About
7 in 10
residents gave excellent or good ratings to:
•Rochester as a place to live•Overall image or reputation•The overall quality of life in Rochester
Roughly three-
quarters of residents
•Plan to remain in Rochester
for the next five years
•Would recommend living in
Rochester to someone who
asked
Quality of life in Rochester by demographic
76%
82%
76%
64%
65%
68%
60%
Own
Rent
Housing tenure
18-34
35-54
55+
Age
Yes
No
Disability
Overall quality of life
Percent very or somewhat safe
Rochester as a place to live
88%
79%
80%
67%
73%
67%
67%
18-34
35-54
55+
Age
Not white alone
White alone
Race
Yes
No
Disability
Nearly all
aspects of
governance
increased from
the previous
iteration in
2022.
4
Governance in Rochester
51%
51%
51%
53%
53%
55%
56%
57%
58%
62%
Informing residents about issues facing the community
The job Rochester government does at welcoming
resident involvement
The value of services for the taxes paid to Rochester
Being open and transparent to the public
Overall confidence in Rochester government
Generally acting in the best interest of the community
Treating all residents fairly
The overall direction that Rochester is taking
Being honest
Treating residents with respect
Higher
Similar
Lower
National
Benchmark
Comparison
Please rate the following categories of Rochester government performance.
Percent excellent or good
Governance in Rochester by demographic
55%
59%
57%
47%
51%
49%
Informing residents about
issues facing the community
Generally acting in the best
interest of the community
Overall confidence in
Rochester government
Man
Woman
Sex
Percent excellent or good
Housing type
56%
65%
63%
58%
66%
59%
48%
53%
50%
49%
52%
47%
Informing residents about
issues facing the
community
Being honest
Generally acting in the
best interest of the
community
Overall confidence in
Rochester government
The overall direction that
Rochester is taking
The value of the services
for the taxes paid to
Rochester
Detached
Attached
Length of residency
56%
65%
64%
69%
59%
66%
65%
50%
53%
50%
49%
53%
49%
52%
49%
The value of services for the
taxes paid to Rochester
The overall direction that
Rochester is taking
Overall confidence in
Rochester government
Being honest
Being open and transparent
to the public
More than 10 years 6 - 10 years Less than 5 years
Additional
Special Topics
3
28%34%33%
46%40%
50%
56%51%
Sports and Recreation Complex
How important, if at all, are the following amenities for a new sports
and recreation complex in Rochester?
Percent essential or very important
Library use
In the past 12 months, how often, if at all,
did you use any library services?
Daily
3%
Weekly
20%
Monthly
24%
Less than once
per month
26%
Never
27%
45%
47%
57%
68%
67%
59%
30%
52%
49%
43%
Improved facilities (e.g. enhanced accessibility, modernized
restrooms, etc.)
More convenient location of facilities (e.g. closer to public
transportation)
Neighborhood pickup location of materials I select (e.g. book kiosk)
Better parking (e.g. increased availability, reduced fee parking, free
parking)
Increased availability of digital resources (e.g. ebooks, audiobooks,
etc.)
Increased availability of physical resources (e.g. books, dvds,
equipment, etc.)
Increased availability of meeting spaces
More relevant materials/programs
Extended hours
Better study/reading areas (e.g. quieter spaces, improved lighting)
Potential Library amenities
How likely or unlikely would the following resources increase your utilization of the library?
Percent very or somewhat likely
Summary of
Conclusions
1.Safety remains strong in Rochester, with residents
reporting feeling safe in all aspects of the
community.
2.Rochester continues to be a desirable place to
work, with above-average employment
opportunities.
3.Rochester remains to be a desirable place to live,
though slight decreases were observed in both the
overall quality of life and the City as a place to live.
4.Nearly all aspects of governance increased from the
previous iteration in 2022.
Next Steps: ENGAGE With Community Members
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surveys and polls
created by survey
scientists at
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Rochester
currently has
3,942
subscribers on
Polco.
Included in Current Subscription Optional Add-on
Next Steps: TRACK Rochester’s Data
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Thank you!
Brandon Barnett
Senior Survey Associate
Polco/National Research Center
Brandon@polco.us
Questions?