Communities experiencing shale gas development

The influx of natural gas infrastructure and laborers associated with Marcellus Shale development has raised questions regarding the presence of a “boomtown” effect on Pennsylvania’s rural communities. This chapter examines quantitative and qualitative data gathered from four Pennsylvania counties to assess how various social indicators, including housing, healthcare, education, crime, and residents’ perceptions of their communities, have changed as a result of Marcellus Shale development. The quantitative data indicate that changes across many of these indicators are limited and difficult to distinguish from regional and long-term trends. Qualitative data resulting from focus groups, on the other hand, demonstrates substantial changes in how residents feel about their communities and their outlook for the future. The community implications of these findings are discussed, as well as the methodological challenges of studying rural communities experiencing unconventional development.