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Mortality rates are down in the nine-county region, as are median home values. Violent crime continues to decrease throughout the state, but in the City of Rochester it increased by 9 percent from 2000 to 2014, according ACT Rochester’s annual community report card (see below).

The group released its latest assessment on Tuesday. It looks at more than 100 indicators of a community’s health.

Much of the report covers familiar ground, such as the region’s depressingly high rate of childhood poverty and the fact that although the region’s median monthly rent is lower than the state’s and the nation’s, renters still pay too much of their income — 35 percent — on rent.

Other interesting findings: Mortality rates associated with leading causes of death have all declined in our region since 2000. The overall mortality rate fell 18 percent from 2000 to 2013, the report says, while the rates for strokes fell 41 percent; heart disease, 37 percent; and 20 percent for cancer.

State funding for the arts has dropped 45 percent in our region since 2001, the report says, matching a statewide drop of 46 percent. The decreases are despite the fact that attendance at arts and cultural attractions in the region has increased 27 percent since 2004.

2016 ACT Rochester Report Card