The Office of Policy and Management (OPM) prepares the Public Investment Community (PIC) index not later than July 15 annually, pursuant to §7-545 of the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS).

The PIC index measures the relative wealth and need of Connecticut’s towns by ranking them in descending order by their cumulative point allocations for: (1) per capita income; (2) adjusted equalized net grand list per capita; (3) equalized mill rate; (4) per capita aid to children receiving Temporary Family Assistance program benefits; and (5) unemployment rate.

Pursuant to CGS §7-545 the PIC index includes each town that has a cumulative point ranking in the top quartile of the PIC Index (i.e. the 42 towns with the highest number of points). When a town’s ranking falls below the top quartile in a given fiscal year, the town's designation as a Public Investment Community continues for that year and the following four fiscal years. As a result, the PIC index includes certain towns carried over from previous fiscal years (indicated in the data as "grandfathered").

The PIC index determines eligibility for several financial assistance programs that various agencies administer, including:

-Urban Action Bond Assistance -Small Town Economic Assistance Program -Community Economic Development Program -Residential Mortgage Guarantee Program -Education Cost Sharing -Malpractice Insurance Purchase Program -Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund -Enterprise Corridor Zone Designation

Most of the towns included on the PIC index are eligible to elect for assistance under the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) in lieu of Urban Action Bond assistance, pursuant to CGS §4-66g(b). An eligible town’s legislative body (or its board of selectmen if the town’s legislative body is the town meeting) must vote to choose STEAP assistance and the town must notify OPM following the vote. STEAP election is valid for four years and the statute allows extensions for additional four-year periods.