BOSTON — Seven years after the Rural Policy Advisory Commission (RPAC) released its first policy agenda for rural Massachusetts, commission members and the Legislature gathered at the State House Friday afternoon to announce the rollout of the 2026 Rural Policy Plan.
The document hopes to set a statewide agenda for the next five years of rural policy, building on the 2019 plan. The new plan recognizes the progress that’s been made since the formation of RPAC in 2015 and the release of the inaugural plan, but also hightlights the areas where more coordinated efforts are needed.
The RPAC is a 15-member commission, which includes state legislators, members of the state government, representatives from regional planning authorities and citizens. One seat, reserved for a representative from the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, remains open.
“This five-year plan is really a call to action,” said Anne Gobi, the director of rural affairs for the state. “It takes all of us together.”
Linda Dunlavy, executive director of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) and the chair of RPAC, shared data from the state, which shows that 181 communities in the commonwealth are considered rural, accounting for roughly 60% of the state, but only 13% of the population.
Adding that not all rural communities are the same, Dunlavy said that there are “recurring, structural issues” that plague rural communities, including an aging population, declining school enrollment and long travel distances, among others.
In the plan, the RPAC identifies three different types of rural communities, with those being areas of economic distress, areas with a large concentration of second homes, and suburbs and bedroom communities.
According to the plan, all of Franklin County and portions of Hampshire County are considered in economic distress, with characteristics including declining or slow-growing population, a higher median age and lower household incomes.
Data included in the 2026 plan shows that Franklin County residents, on average, spend 50% of their income on housing and transportation, which is the highest in the state. The next highest is Barnstable and Berkshire County, where residents on average spend 47% of their paycheck on housing and transportation.
“Median incomes in rural communities [are] lower,” Dunlavy said, adding that the RPAC believes this new plan creates “greater long-term viability in rural communities.”
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said that more often than not, the rural communities in Massachusetts have to do everything other communities do, just “backwards and in high heels.” Echoing the RPAC’s definition of the three different categories of rural in the state, Driscoll added that “round pegs don’t always fit in square holes.”
Sen. Paul Mark, D-Becket, the Senate designee on the commission, said that things “move at a 1630 pace” at the State House, referencing the year the Massachusetts General Court was created. With that though, he said that legislators have seen progress get “quicker and quicker as we move along.”
“We’ve seen positive results from the [2019] plan,” Mark said. “I represent 21.5% of the land mass, but I represent [just] 2.5% of the population… Hopefully in five years we’ll all be here to talk about how great it went.”
State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, said that advocacy for the plan goes a long way, noting that there are 50 members from the House that represent rural communities.
“If we harness that,” Sabadosa said, “that’s a lot of political power.”
Four different types of suggestions are included in the 2026 plan, with those being policy, funding, programming and legislative acts. Policy recommendations involve local municipalities taking action without creating a legally binding requirement; funding focuses on recommendations for how money is raised and distributed; programming recommendations involve specific initiatives, and legislative acts identify where statutory changes are needed.
State Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, said that the plan is “based in the realities of living in and representing rural communities,” and that when state legislators say yes to projects in rural Massachusetts’ communities, they’re “saying yes to a more equitable commonwealth.
“I love this plan,” Comerford continued.
With the 2026 Rural Policy plan in hand, Dunlavy said that the next steps include outreach, education, coordination and advocacy.
“We see this plan as an invitation for partnerships and collaboration,” Dunlavy said.
The full Rural Policy Plan can be viewed at mass.gov/doc/2026-rural-policy-plan/download, and the executive summary can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ye3a72e4.
“We’ve made some good headway over the last three-and-a-half years,” Driscoll said. “Know that you have a strong ally in our administration to get it done.”
