National Association of Counties

What National Association of Counties does

The National Association of Counties (NACo), founded in 1935 and headquartered in Washington, DC, is a private, nonprofit membership association owned by America's county governments. It represents all 3,069 U.S. counties, parishes, and boroughs, serving approximately 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Its mission centers on federal policy advocacy, member-driven professional development, and the delivery of cost-saving solutions through its owned NACo EDGE platform.

NACo's service portfolio combines policy advocacy, cooperative purchasing, training, and data products. Core offerings include NACo EDGE (encompassing Public Promise Procurement, Public Promise Insurance, Nationwide retirement solutions, High Performance Leadership Academy, and Mental Health First Aid), County Explorer Data (an interactive mapping tool with 100+ datasets across 14 categories), the TestIT mobile app for broadband connectivity mapping, AI County Compass (an AI governance toolkit), the Enterprise Cybersecurity Leadership Academy, and civic education programs (Counties 101, Counties Work Game). It also runs the Annual Conference, Legislative Conference, and WIR Conference as primary convening events and administers the NACo Achievement Awards innovation recognition program.

NACo's business model rests on four revenue streams: population-based county membership dues, tiered Corporate Premier Program sponsorships ($25K Silver, $50K Gold, $100K Platinum), conference registration and event revenue, and Public Promise Procurement cooperative purchasing contracts. It engages in federal policy advocacy through 10 policy steering committees, 31 committees/caucuses/task forces, and coalition partnerships including the Big Seven. Strategic corporate partners include Microsoft, Amazon, Google, AT&T, Aetna, Humana, Deloitte, Nationwide, American Clean Power, and Guidehouse, alongside state associations and 26 national affiliates.

Name

National Association of Counties

Legal name

National Association of Counties

Website

https://naco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Association of Counties is a nonprofit membership association founded in 1935 that represents all 3,069 U.S. county governments, serving roughly 40,000 elected officials and 3.6 million county employees through federal advocacy, cooperative purchasing, training, and data products via its NACo EDGE platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Premier Program Sponsorships: Sponsorship tiers at Silver ($25,000), Gold ($50,000), and Platinum ($100,000) levels offering various engagement opportunities including conference registrations, logo promotion, webinar hosting, and exhibit booths.
2. County Membership Dues: Counties pay membership dues based on population. Dues determine voting weight in annual meetings.
3. Conference Registrations: Revenue from Annual Conference and Legislative Conference registrations.
4. Public Promise Procurement: Cooperative purchasing program enabling public agencies to access competitively bid pricing without requiring individual RFP processes. Fee structure not publicly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is a private, member-owned nonprofit association that represents and serves the 3,069 county, parish and borough governments of the United States. Its core offering is a bundled package of federal advocacy, policy research, professional development, cooperative purchasing, and peer-networking services funded through county membership dues (scaled to population), corporate sponsorships, and conference registrations.

Product overview

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is a membership association, not a software product company. Its offerings consist of programs, services, events, and member resources designed to support county governments. The core platform is NACo EDGE, which provides cost-saving solutions including Public Promise Procurement (cooperative purchasing), Public Promise Insurance (voluntary benefits/PBM), and various savings programs through partners like Nationwide. Supporting programs include the Achievement Awards (innovation recognition), Operation Green Light for Veterans (veteran support initiative), County Explorer Data (interactive mapping tool), Counties 101 and Counties Work Game (civic education), County Tech Xchange and Enterprise Cybersecurity Leadership Academy (IT/cybersecurity resources), and AI County Compass (AI governance toolkit). Events include the Annual Conference & Exposition, Legislative Conference, and WIR Conference. Additional offerings include the Resource Library, County News publication, and various training programs like the High Performance Leadership Academy and Mental Health First Aid.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NACo EDGE A comprehensive online platform owned by NACo that delivers cost-saving solutions to county governments through collective purchasing power, providing access to programs including Public Promise Procurement, Public Promise Insurance, Nationwide Retirement Solutions, High Performance Leadership Academy, Mental Health First Aid, ClearGov budget planning, and cashVest.
• Public Promise Procurement Cooperative purchasing program enabling public agencies to access competitively bid contracts for goods and services without going through individual RFP processes.
• Public Promise Insurance Voluntary benefits and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) solutions for county employees.
• NACo Achievement Awards Non-competitive awards program recognizing innovative county government programs in 18 categories covering a wide spectrum of county responsibilities, with one outstanding 'Best of Category' selection per category.
• Operation Green Light for Veterans Nationwide initiative led by NACo and NACVSO where counties illuminate buildings green to show support for veterans, raise awareness of available benefits, and call for action on federal policies supporting veterans and their families.
• County Explorer Data Interactive mapping tool featuring data for all 3,069 U.S. counties across 14 categories, more than 100 datasets, over 1,000 indicators and more than 10 types of county and state profiles.
• NACo Annual Conference & Exposition Premier annual gathering of elected and appointed officials from the nation's 3,069 counties, parishes and boroughs, featuring education, networking, and business meetings.
• Legislative Conference Annual policy-focused conference for county officials to engage with federal policymakers on legislative priorities.
• Enterprise Cybersecurity Leadership Academy Online 12-week collaborative readiness program led by Fortune 500 CISOs and peers, delivering a proven framework and insights on leading and securing a network and organization.
• High Performance Leadership Academy Leadership training program designed to develop county leaders' skills and competencies.
• Mental Health First Aid Employee wellness program providing mental health training and resources for county employees.
• County News Award-winning official news publication of NACo covering county government news, advocacy updates, and member stories.
• Counties Work Game & Curriculum Online game and curriculum created with iCivics to educate students in grades 6-12 about the important role and functions of county government.

Quantifiable outcome

• $273 billion in federal dollars distributed to veterans through CVSO work in FY 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered corporate premier partner, corporate premier partner - edge solution, program partner, research partner, regulatory partner, federal program administrator, core partner, contract award and coalition partner.

• Aetnacorporate premier partnerOthers · 1 January 2026Health insurance partner through NACo Corporate Premier Program at Platinum sponsorship level.
• Amazoncorporate premier partnerOthers · 1 January 2026Corporate premier partner supporting NACo programs including Operation Green Light for Veterans.
• American Clean Powercorporate premier partnerOthers · 1 January 2026Clean energy industry association partner in NACo Corporate Premier Program.
• AT&Tcorporate premier partnerTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Telecommunications partner through NACo Corporate Premier Program providing connectivity insights.
• Microsoftcorporate premier partnerTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Technology partner through NACo Corporate Premier Program.
• Nationwidecorporate premier partner - edge solutionOthers · 1 January 2026Nationwide retirement solutions offered through NACo EDGE, providing retirement and pension solutions to counties.
• Humanacorporate premier partnerOthers · 1 January 2026Healthcare partner providing chronic disease prevention content and value-based care solutions for county employees.
• Deloittecorporate premier partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026Professional services firm partner providing insights on data governance, AI, and modernization for counties.
• Googlecorporate premier partnerOthers · 1 January 2026Technology partner through NACo Corporate Premier Program.
• Guidehousecorporate premier partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026Consulting partner providing insights on housing, opioid crisis, and post-ARPA planning for counties.
• National Association of County Veteran Service Officers (NACVSO)program partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of Operation Green Light for Veterans initiative, originating from New York State Association of Counties and NYS County Veteran Service Officers Association in 2021.
• Pew Charitable Trustsresearch partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NACo to hold discussion with county leaders on disaster resilience, releasing findings in February 2026.
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)regulatory partnerOthersFederal agency proposing changes to Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) affecting county administration of federal grants.
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)federal program administratorOthersFederal agency administering $42.45 billion BEAD program for broadband deployment, with NACo advocating for county coordination.
• 53 State County Associationscore partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor53 state associations with 47 states having at least one state association, providing counties with legislative representation, research, training, consultation and publications.
• National Association of County Veteran Service Officers (NACVSO)program partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate organization representing County Veteran Service Officers in 29 states and DC, serving as essential advocates for veterans and families.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)program partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NACo to develop TestIT mobile app for identifying areas with low or no connectivity for broadband funding.
• Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP)program partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NACo to develop TestIT mobile app for broadband connectivity testing.
• National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)program partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NACo to develop TestIT mobile app for broadband connectivity testing.
• Farm Creditprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NACo to develop TestIT mobile app for broadband connectivity testing.
• Lilypad EVcontract awardOthersAwarded national contract through NACo Public Promise Procurement cooperative purchasing program for EV charging equipment and services.
• 26 National Affiliates (County Officials Organizations)core partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate organizations aligned with county government departments including assessors, emergency managers, fire chiefs, county administrators, health officials, engineers, veterans service officers, and others.
• National League of Citiescoalition partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Seven coalition partner for state and local government associations, coordinating on federal over-reach and shared priorities on Capitol Hill.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International City/County Management Association (ICMA): Professional association for local government managers and administrators. Overlaps with NACo's audience (county administrators are an explicit NACo affiliate group) and offers comparable training, credentialing, and advocacy resources.
• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA): Membership association for state and local government finance officers. Comparable professional-association model with training, certification, and best-practice publications serving a similar local-government buyer.
• National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO): Professional membership organization for state budget officers. While focused on state rather than county officials, it operates the same dues-funded research, training, and member-services model and is similarly positioned in the intergovernmental ecosystem.
• United States Conference of Mayors: Nonpartisan membership organization for U.S. mayors with parallel structure to NACo — federal advocacy, conferences, and member services for a defined local-government constituency (mayors vs. counties). Direct intergovernmental peer.
• National Governors Association: Membership association of U.S. state governors with comparable federal advocacy, policy committee, and conference-driven engagement model. Sits one tier above NACo in the intergovernmental ecosystem and operates with a similar staff and revenue scale.
• Council of State Governments (CSG): Bipartisan membership organization serving all three branches of state government with federal advocacy, research, and training programs — a structural peer to NACo's model for sub-national government officials.
• National League of Cities: Membership association serving municipal governments with similar advocacy, training, and member-services model. NACo and NLC are formal 'Big Seven' coalition partners, and NLC's city-focused scope is the closest direct analog to NACo's county-focused mission.
• National Association of Towns and Townships (NATaT): Membership association for small-town and township governments. Same advocacy-and-services model for a related (smaller) local-government segment; NACo and NATaT regularly coordinate on federal legislative strategy.
• National Association of Regional Councils (NARC): Membership association for regional councils and planning organizations. Overlaps with NACo's county-government mission in serving multi-jurisdiction local entities and conducts parallel federal advocacy and training.

Emerging players

• National Academy of Public Administration: Independent, nonprofit organization delivering consulting, research, and fellowship programs for public-sector leaders. Comparable audience (senior government officials) with overlapping research and advisory services, though not a membership association in the traditional dues-based model.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NACoTweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/NACoDC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Association of Counties