Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

03:00PM / Monday, May 15, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023.

This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data.

The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.

The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.

In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact.

Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents.

Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis.

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Another West Nile Virus Mosquito Found in Pittsfield

Staff reports02:11PM / Friday, August 21, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has confirmed another West Nile virus-infected mosquito sample in the city.

On Friday, Pittsfield announced there was an isolation on outer West Street near Lillybrook Road. Last week, two isolations of WNV were found at the Pittsfield-Richmond town line on Route 41 and the other at Garland Avenue.

There are currently no confirmed human cases of WNV, but residents are encouraged to take preventative actions. According to a risk map provided by the MDPH, Pittsfield is now at moderate risk for WNV.

WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes that carry this virus are common throughout the state and are found in urban as well as more rural areas. While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe infection.

Berkshire County had early virus activity; Clarksburg saw the state's first WNV mosquitoes of the season in June. Pittsfield had a positive WNV sample later that month in a spot with repeated occurrences near the Pittsfield Cemetery.

Pittsfield, through the Berkshire County Mosquito Control Project, continues larvicide application, conducting targeted education programs, distribution of fact sheets on WNV and on reducing exposure to mosquitoes, and treating catch basins.

In 2021, the former City Council voted to opt out of adult mosquito control spraying.

Earlier this month, Chris Horton, superintendent of the mosquito project, told the Board of Health that he doesn't envision the WNV positives amplifying, and the peak transmission weeks are at the end of August and early September.