Community engagement is the extent to which individuals take responsibility for addressing civic issues and improving the life of their community. In all cases, comparisons to state statistics reflect the state excluding New York City.

The region’s voter registration rates have remained steady at above 80%, yet they are persistently a bit lower than the state.
Between 2010 and 2020, the average voter registration rate was 84% for the Mid-Hudson region and 84% for the state. Of the region’s voting-age residents, 87% were registered in 2022, compared to 89% of the state overall.

Voter registration rates vary somewhat across the region. Columbia County’s registration rate has been greater than the statewide rate in every year since 2010. In 2022, Columbia County (96%) had the highest registration rate of the seven counties.

Voter turnout in the region approaches 64% in presidential election years, and is about even with the state rate. The rates are lower in midterm election years.
In the 2022 midterm election, voter turnout in the region was on par with the state. Turnout was highest in Columbia (58%) and lowest in Sullivan County at 40%.

Violent crime rates have decreased across the region. In 2022, the Mid-Hudson Valley region had 17 violent crimes reported per 10,000 residents, below the state rate of 21 violent crimes per 10,000 residents. This was a 26% decrease in the rate of violent crimes since 2010, compared to a 12.5% decrease statewide. Greene (42) and Orange (18) had the highest rates in the region, while Putnam (6) had the lowest. All counties, except Greene, experienced a rate decrease since 2010.

The rate of domestic violence decreased in the Mid-Hudson Valley region. The region had a 16% decrease in the rate of reported domestic violence between 2010 and 2022. In 2022, there were 32 reports of domestic violence per 10,000 residents in the region, down from 38 in 2010 and below the state rate (44). The rate grew the most in Orange County, increasing 30%, in contrast to Greene and Putnam counties, which had decreases of 56% and 69%, respectively, since 2010.

Arrest rates in the region were below the state rate (excluding NYC ) in 2022. Rates per 10,000 residents were highest amongst Black or African Americans (40), followed by Hispanics (20) and Whites (10). Rates for all racial groups were highest in Greene and lowest in Putnam (for Black and White residents) and Dutchess (for Hispanic residents).

In 2018, Incarceration rates were above the state rate (excluding NYC) for most racial/ethnic groups.  Rates per 10,000 were highest amongst African American residents (89), three points higher than the state rate. The next highest rate was Hispanics (26), followed by Native Americans (25), Whites (17) and Asians (10). Incarceration rates for all groups except Whites have decreased in the region since 2000.