Critical Benchmarks

Realize Rutherford identifies the futre desired by Rutherford County residents. The Critical Benchmarks will be used to measure the progress of the Strategic Plan each year. Each of these Critical Benchmarks is cross-cutting and will require success in strategies for all six Foundations.

1. Improve Education
  • Birth-K: Each year, an increasing % of children will enter kindergarten ready to learn. The annual increase will be determined by the first Annual Meeting.
  • K-12: Grade 9-12 retention rate will be increased each year and reach 75% before 2012.
  • Higher Education, Skills Training, & Lifelong Learning: Each year potential and current employees will receive the training required to increase productivity enough to meet the Job Growth and Earnings Per Job Critical Benchmarks.
2. Create Net New Jobs
  • Create new jobs at an average net rate of 3.8% per year for the first ten years, and reduce the unemployment rate to below the North Carolina rate. This includes full time and part time jobs.
  • This rate of job creation must provide jobs for our young people who want to stay in Rutherford County; reduce the unemployment rate; provide opportunities for our citizens previously forced to leave, new residents, and people now commuting outside the county for jobs.
  • History: From 1980-1994, new jobs* were created at an average rate of 2.3% per year. There have not been any net new jobs created since 1994.
3. Increase Earnings Per Job
  • Increase the percentage change in the average earnings per job* in Rutherford County, each year, above the US rate.
History: 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995
US% Change in Earnings/Job:
 5.3% 4.2% 4.6% 3.7% 3.2% 2.1%
Rutherford% Chng in Earnings/Job:
 3.7% 4.1% 4.7% 3.6% 1.0% 1.1%


Critical Benchmarks will be set for the areas of Quality of Life and Infrastructure by the first Annual Meeting. These Benchmarks will tell us each year if we are successful and can celebrate. The Vision Partners will “review, revise, and refocus” their Action Steps to accomplish the strategies, if necessary.

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*Jobs and earnings data is from US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis- May 2002 REIS data series. Employment and earnings data are for all jobs including 2nd or 3rd jobs, and military, and is located by place of work. This employment definition is broad and includes wage and salary workers, farm workers, proprietors, private household employees and miscellaneous workers. Because of the broad definition and place of work counting, the number of jobs is frequently larger than other employment data series. Population data is for July 1 of each year. Employment and income data are averages for the year. http://www.bea.doc.gov/bea/regional/reis/


Benchmarks Team