Many community-wide events provide and promote alcohol as a part of the celebration. Safety and positive activities in the community may be lacking. Well over of the students replied there were not many fun things to do in the community. Movements in and out of the community indicate special needs to be addressed. Migration of young adults from our community is a trend we want to reverse.
Economic deprivation continues to be a problem for the county.
Poverty rates for children are increasing, even as TANF numbers and use of Food Stamps has decreased. Poverty is disproportionate among different parts of our community, as evidenced by free or reduced lunch rates in individual school districts. National data also indicates disproportionate rates for Black and Hispanic youth, which is a concern with the increasing minority youth population in Oneida County. Employment rates are up, but unemployment continues to be experienced disproportionately by minority groups. Drug and alcohol related hospitalizations have increased as well as violent crimes, mirroring national trends.