The Opportunity Index is an interactive data tool that provides a composite of four distinct dimensions of opportunity – economy, education, health, and community – at the national, state, and county levels.  It provides a snapshot of societal conditions that can be used to identify and improve access to opportunity and presents these indicators at the county, state, and national levels.

Since 2011, the Opportunity Index shows how scores have changed over time and what access to opportunity looks like today. The Index provides Opportunity Scores for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and 2,068 counties, which together represent 96 percent of the US population.

Many factors influence opportunity, starting with unchangeable characteristics such as gender, race and ethnicity, and family background. The Opportunity Index focuses on other factors that change over time and vary from place to place in response to personal, institutional, and policy changes. These include a family’s income and individual health, access to civic engagement in neighborhoods, educational attainment, and inclusiveness of one’s community.

The multidimensional nature of the Opportunity Index provides a broad picture of opportunity that goes beyond economics alone. The 2023 Index includes indicators within four overarching dimensions of community well-being:

• Economy
• Education
• Health
• Community

For more information on using the data tool for policy development and analysis, email policy@forumfyi.org.

    

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