ICMA has conducted surveys on topics significant to local governments for decades to assess the state of local government practices, programs, partnerships, and policies. Each year, our surveys cover a balance of recurring and emergent topics of interest to local governments. The resulting data provide valuable information for local decision makers and advance the state of the practice in local government. Our surveys are developed with input from content experts and practitioners, reviewed for internal consistency and logic, and ore-tested among local government officials. The results are sought by the media and mined by academicians.
ICMA typically surveys several thousand local governments at a time, depending on research objectives. We can survey local governments regardless of whether their chief administrative officer is an ICMA member. The database includes population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and identification codes that enable our survey results to be combined with available federal data for more robust analysis.
Datasets from Survey Research are Available for Purchase
These datasets cover a variety of topics including service delivery, form of government, economic development, smart cities, cybersecurity, state of the profession, sustainability, and more.
Survey Collaborations
In addition to our independent research, ICMA collaborates with and administers surveys in partnership with academic institutions, federal agencies, and foundations. Contact research@icma.org if you are interested in exploring a research collaboration. Please note that due to the volume of requests received, we are generally not able to assist with dissemination of external surveys where ICMA is not an active collaborator.
