A system for classifying Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) activities was developed. This system provides for the consistent quantification of local resource development preferences as reflected by local development proposals and resultant actions. Factor and discriminant techniques were used to examine linkages between socioeconomic structure and shifts in resource development activities over time. Regional and project-level socioeconomic predictors of resource development shifts were identified. Variables found to be primary determinants of shifts in development preferences included financial aspects of public health and education, rural farm population other than white or negro, bank deposits, nonresident workforce, education centers, government debt and revenue, and efficiency in wholesale trade. The classification system can be used to monitor ongoing RC&D activities, providing Insight as to the types of resource development activities occurring and shifts over time. The analytical techniques can be used to predict development tendencies in new or proposed RC&D projects, thus providing guidelines for program management and evaluation. Socioeconomic structure can help indicate resource development preferences of local citizens and facilitate the identification of potential areas for tradeoffs necessary to plan and implement projects.