Measure of America

Measure of America (MOA) promotes fact-based public debate about issues of well-being and access to opportunity in the United States, focusing on what Americans care deeply about: health, education, and standard of living. We produce innovative reports and interactive online tools to inform and engage a wide range of audiences: advocates, educators, philanthropists, and policymakers.

Since the project's inception in 2007, Measure of America's research has been utilized to secure stimulus funding for underserved medical clinics in the Mississippi, restructure the $1.4 billion San Diego Department of Health and Human Services to adopt the comprehensive human development approach, and more.

Our first report, entitled The Measure of America (2008), marks the first human development report produced for the United States--and for any affluent developed nation, and features MOA's signature life expectancy calculations for differing racial/ethnic groups, genders, and geographies. Since then, the team has produced an additional national report, as well as state reports for Louisiana (2009), Mississippi (2009), and California (2011). While national reports are funded by a matching grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, other reports are funded by local donors. The first ever county-level report, A Portrait of Marin, was commissioned by the Marin Community Foundation and released in 2012. Visit our Publications page for a full list of reports and thematic briefs, and contact MOA to discuss funding oportunities for your organization.

Measure of America also offers an exciting array of interactive online tools that allow users to explore trends, manipulate data, and more. In Mapping the Measure of America, users design their own maps using over 100 indicators, create data charts, and can download data to create their own data vizualization projects. MOA has also partnered with organizations such as United Way and Opportunity Nation to create tailored interactive projects and important pedagogical tools.