Measure of America

What Measure of America does

Measure of America is a nonprofit initiative of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), founded in 2007 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The organization produces data-driven research, reports, and interactive tools that measure human development and well-being across U.S. communities. Its core analytical framework is the American Human Development Index (HDI), a composite measure adapted from the UN Human Development Index that combines health (life expectancy), education (enrollment and attainment), and standard of living (median earnings) on a 10-point scale. The organization also publishes an annual Youth Disconnection rate analysis and operates interactive mapping tools including DATA2GO.NYC (over 400 indicators across NYC neighborhoods), Mapping America (100+ national indicators), the Youth Disconnection Interactive Tool, the Common Good Forecaster, and partner-hosted tools such as Cottage Data2Go (Santa Barbara County) and DATA2GOHEALTH.NYC. Personal-facing tools include the Well-O-Meter quiz and My Dashboard portal.

The organization serves policymakers, foundations, nonprofits, community organizations, academic researchers, journalists, and the general public. All reports and interactive tools are provided free of charge; the organization instead monetizes through foundation grants (from funders including the Helmsley Charitable Trust, Rockefeller Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, California Endowment, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Annenberg Foundation) and commissioned research partnerships with government agencies and civic organizations. The go-to-market model is community-led and research-driven: authoritative reports are published, data walks and community conversations are hosted, and partnerships with civic organizations disseminate findings to drive policy change.

Measure of America operates with a small team of approximately 7 employees, producing region-specific Portrait reports (Los Angeles County, Greater Houston, California, NYC, Sonoma, Marin) alongside annual national reports. Its methodology is informed by UN frameworks and endorsed by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, and it works directly with the US Census Bureau for underlying data. The product portfolio is technical in nature — combining statistical analysis, custom interactive visualizations, and geographic information systems — but does not employ modern machine learning or artificial intelligence.

Name

Measure of America

Legal name

Measure of America

Website

https://measureofamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Measure of America is a nonprofit initiative of the Social Science Research Council that produces data-driven research, reports, and interactive tools measuring human development and well-being across U.S. communities, serving policymakers, foundations, nonprofits, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Science Research and Policy Analysis

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) & Equity Measurement (HLAJAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Equity, SDOH & Disparities Measurement (HLAJANAJ), Public Health Quality Measurement & Performance Benchmarking (HLAJAJAL), Health Information Exchange & Public Health Data Integration (HLAJAJAD)

Keywords

• Human development research
• Social science research
• Data visualization tools
• Policy research reports
• Well-being measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Primary funding from private foundations including the Helmsley Charitable Trust, Rockefeller Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, and other philanthropic organizations. These grants support report production, data tool development, and research activities.
2. Commissioned Research: Partnerships with government agencies, community foundations, and civic organizations to produce customized reports and analyses on specific geographic areas or thematic topics related to human development and well-being.
3. Interactive Tool Services: Development and maintenance of interactive data tools for partners, including customized versions of tools like DATA2GO for specific geographic areas or health-related topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Measure of America produces research reports and interactive data tools that measure well-being and opportunity in the United States using the American Human Development Index (HDI), a composite measure adapted from the UN Human Development Index covering health, education, and standard of living. The organization delivers geographic portrait reports, annual youth disconnection analyses, and free online mapping tools that allow users to explore hundreds of human development indicators across U.S. neighborhoods, cities, counties, and states.

Product overview

Measure of America is a non-profit initiative of the Social Science Research Council that produces research, reports, and interactive data tools focused on human development and well-being measurement in the United States. The portfolio consists of the American Human Development Index (HDI) as the core analytical framework, supplemented by interactive mapping and visualization tools including DATA2GO.NYC (over 400 NYC indicators), the Youth Disconnection Interactive Tool, Mapping America (100+ national indicators), the Common Good Forecaster (education impact modeling), Cottage Data2Go (Santa Barbara County), and NYC Health Mapping Tool. The company also publishes periodic Portrait reports (state and county-level analyses) and annual youth disconnection reports. Key products include the Well-O-Meter personal assessment tool and My Dashboard for individual users. The product suite serves policymakers, nonprofits, philanthropies, researchers, and the general public through free online access to data, reports, and interactive tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DATA2GO.NYC: A free, robust mapping and data visualization tool that consolidates over 400 indicators of human well-being and inequality in New York City
• Youth Disconnection Interactive Tool
• Common Good Forecaster
• Mapping America

Products and services

• DATA2GO.NYC A free, interactive mapping and data visualization tool that consolidates over 400 indicators of human well-being and inequality in New York City across the city's five boroughs, 59 community districts, and nearly 200 neighborhoods.
• Youth Disconnection Interactive Tool Interactive mapping and data visualization tool providing key data on youth disconnection rates across geographies and demographics, covering states, cities, counties, congressional districts, and PUMAs in the United States.
• Mapping America Interactive mapping tool with over 100 indicators for understanding well-being and human development across the United States, allowing users to explore data by zip code, state, city, county, and congressional districts.
• Common Good Forecaster Interactive forecasting tool developed with United Way that uses statistical models to show how changes in educational attainment affect social and economic outcomes such as earnings, poverty, life expectancy, and voting at county and state levels.
• Well-O-Meter Personal quiz tool that helps individuals assess their own human development level by answering questions about health, education, and standard of living to receive a general sense of their personal HDI score.
• My Dashboard Personalized portal allowing users to access their HDI score, view national HDI reports, and receive recommendations based on individual well-being metrics.
• Cottage Data2Go Free online mapping and data tool created in partnership with Cottage Health, bringing together federal, state, county, and community data with nearly 200 indicators on issues critical to well-being in Santa Barbara County at census tract, city, and census-designated place levels.
• NYC Health Mapping Tool (Data2GoHealth) Health-focused mapping tool bringing together federal, state, and city data on health-related indicators for New York City neighborhoods, with over 300 indicators available by community district and nearly a quarter by census tract.
• A Portrait of Los Angeles County 2026 Comprehensive report using the American Human Development Index to analyze well-being and opportunity in Los Angeles County across 115 cities and 34 community plan areas, examining health, education, living standards, environmental justice, immigration, housing, and inequality.
• Building Bright Futures in Greater Houston Report examining youth disconnection across 13 counties in the Greater Houston region, covering approximately 124,500 disconnected youth at the highest disconnection rate among major U.S. metro areas.
• Broad Recovery, Persistent Inequity: Youth Disconnection in America Annual report on youth disconnection presenting national disconnection rates with breakdowns by race, ethnicity, gender, and geography, showing persistent disparities despite near-return to pre-pandemic levels.
• American Human Development Index (HDI) A composite measure modeled after the UN's Human Development Index that measures well-being and opportunity using three dimensions: a long and healthy life (life expectancy), access to knowledge (enrollment and attainment), and a decent standard of living (median earnings), presented on a 10-point scale.
• Opportunity Index Index commissioned by Opportunity Nation measuring community opportunity across three main dimensions, providing snapshots of economic opportunity and upward mobility for every state and over 2,400 counties.

Quantifiable outcome

• Youth disconnection rate of 10.9% nationally represents 4,343,600 disconnected youth ages 16-24 in 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create the Common Good Forecaster in 2008, a tool showing how education affects economic and social outcomes. Both organizations focus on building blocks of a good life including education, stable employment, and health.
• Cottage HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Measure of America to create Cottage Data2Go, a free mapping and data tool for Santa Barbara County bringing together federal, state, county, and community data.
• Social Science Research CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization of Measure of America. Measure of America is an initiative of the SSRC, which provides institutional support and academic credibility.
• US Census BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary data source for Measure of America's calculations. The organization uses American Community Survey data for youth disconnection calculations and works with Census for custom data tabulations.
• Opportunity NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Measure of America to create the Opportunity Index measuring community opportunity across states and counties, presented at annual summits.
• United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeasure of America's American Human Development Index is adapted from the UN Human Development Index. Organization works with UN agencies on Sustainable Development Goals implementation in the US.
• County of Sonoma Department of Health ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in using A Portrait of Sonoma County report to facilitate community health assessments and address racial disparities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Child Trends: Nonprofit research organization focused on child and youth well-being data, including indicators on education, health, and economic security. Strong overlap with Measure of America's youth disconnection work and similar foundation-funded research model.
• MDRC: Social policy research organization studying programs affecting low-income populations, with strong focus on education, employment, and youth pathways. Similar nonprofit research model, foundation funding, and target audience of policymakers and funders.
• Urban Institute: Major nonprofit policy research organization producing evidence-based insights on economic mobility, well-being, and inequality in the US. Comparable to Measure of America in target audience (policymakers, foundations, media) and mission of using rigorous data to inform policy on human development.
• PolicyLink: National research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity, including the National Equity Atlas data tool. Direct overlap with Measure of America's equity measurement work and neighborhood-level disparity focus.
• Population Reference Bureau: Nonprofit that analyzes demographic and health data in the US and globally, producing reports and interactive tools for policymakers and researchers. Comparable methodology and audience for human development indicators.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation (KIDS COUNT): Foundation producing the KIDS COUNT Data Book and dataset on child well-being across states and localities. Direct overlap with Measure of America's neighborhood-level well-being data and foundation-driven research model.
• Opportunity Nation: Coalition that commissioned Measure of America to build the Opportunity Index measuring community opportunity across states and counties. Closely aligned mission around economic opportunity and youth disconnection, with shared measurement framework.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution: Large public policy organization producing economic, social, and metropolitan policy research. Overlap with Measure of America's policy research mission but operates at much broader scale and covers many more topics.
• UNDP Human Development Report Office: Original developer of the Human Development Index that Measure of America's American HDI is adapted from. Direct methodological lineage and ongoing collaboration on US SDG implementation.
• Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF): Major nonprofit health policy organization producing data and analysis on health equity, including state-level health indicators. Comparable in producing free interactive data tools for policymakers and the public, but focused specifically on health policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MOA_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/measureofamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/measure-of-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Measure of America