According to Stafford County's first-ever community survey, three out of four residents gave excellent or good ratings to Stafford County as a place to live and raise children. Seven out of 10 would recommend it as a place to live and plant to remain in the County for the next five years. The nationally benchmarked survey had the lowest scores for transportation and the design and layout of residential and commercial areas. Stafford contracted with Polco, a community engagement polling company, to complete the survey, which compares results with more than 500 communities across the nation containing more than 50 million residents. The results will help the Board of Supervisors formulate their next three-year plan for implementing Stafford's Strategic Plan.
"These results back up what I have always said – my hometown of Stafford is a great place to live. Our residents agree, especially when it comes to supporting public safety and I look forward to working with the state and federal government to working on transportation priorities," said Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Crystal Vanuch, Rock Hill District. "The data from this survey on residents' opinions on the different aspects of life in Stafford County will be invaluable for our planning for the years to come."
Stafford scored very similarly to the communities included in Polco's National Community Survey database. Stafford was scored on the 12 facets of community life, including economy, mobility, community design, utilities, safety, and more. Residents were asked about their opinions on the quality of the facets of community life as well as their views of the importance of each of those facets.
Polco came up with the four key findings below:
- Key Finding 1 – Stafford County residents experience a positive quality of life and a strong sense of safety.
- Key Finding 2 - Residents appreciate many aspects of the County's economy and highlight some potential areas for growth.
- Key Finding 3 - Mobility may be an area of opportunity for the County.
- Key Finding 4 - Residents value the County's utility infrastructure.
The presentation to the Board of Supervisors and complete survey results may be found at www.staffordcountyva.gov/communitysurvey.