In 2013, the Center for Business and Policy Research (formerly the Business Forecasting Center) received a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Agency to produce the "North San Joaquin Valley (NSJV) Regional Assessment." Advancing understanding about the NSJV, the project provided an unprecedented assessment of the region's competitiveness, employment, and growth through a series of technical reports and culminating event in November 2014. That Assessment identified three key elements that define the NSJV as a distinct region:
Intra‐regional linkages among the NSJV counties: In addition to similar economic systems and markets facilitating linkages, the NSJV counties are united through intra-regional commuting and migration.
Growing inter‐regional linkages with the San Francisco Bay Area and the Greater Sacramento Area: While possessing distinct economic systems and socio-economic structures, the regions are strongly linked through commuting and migration patterns.
Increasing Distinction from the South San Joaquin Valley (SSJV): Despite similar socio-economic structures, the NSJV and SSJV have very little employment interchange, limited commuting, and migration connections, different inter-regional linkages, and some distinct areas of comparative advantage.
In 2015, the inaugural edition of the North San Joaquin Valley Index and an associated conference were created to help further the concept of an NSJV regional identity. The conference brought regional leaders together to understand economic, social, and environmental trends as well as to spark discussion of areas where regional collaboration could be fruitful.
The North San Joaquin Valley (NSJV) region is made up of three adjoining California counties: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced. The region is a little larger than Connecticut, and with over 1.5 million residents, its population is larger than that of 11 states. While the NSJV is a distinct region, it is rarely recognized as such by the political and business communities. When economic development, policy, and planning processes are organized above the county level, the NSJV is typically grouped in an enormous geography of the entire San Joaquin Valley or Central Valley. As a result, the unique characteristics and opportunities of the NSJV can be overlooked.
The North San Joaquin Valley Index and an associated conference were created to help further the concept of an NSJV regional identity and bring regional leaders together to understand economic, social, and environmental trends and spark discussion of areas where regional collaboration could be fruitful.
Contact Us
Center for Business and Policy Research
Eberhardt School of Business
Thomas Pogue, Ph.D. - Director
Sacramento Office: 916.340.6084
Stockton Office: 209.946.2913
cbpr@pacific.edu
