Study Ranks Over 11,000 Government Websites

E-Government Trend Report, just issued by the National Policy Research Council (NPRC), presents an analysis of all known U.S. official state and local government Web sites. The study finds the state of Michigan has the best official Web site in the country in 2006 after conducting individual analyses on more than 11,000 official government Web sites for 25 key e-government features and practices.

Robert McArthur, former head of government organization research at the U.S. Census Bureau, led the study for NPRC. According to McArthur, all of the highest-ranked Web sites did a good job presenting and organizing information and in providing services across several broad categories. The study accessed and graded each Web site according to its performance on more than two dozen features within and across these categories. Measured features include:

• Web site navigation aids
• home page content and links
• handicapped accessibility options
• Web site outreach via foreign language translations, e-surveys or comment forms
• legislative, mapping and socio-economic statistical information
• online payment options for taxes and services
• online business and/or construction permit options
• online procurement information and transactions
• government job listings and online job applications.

Michigan's Web site achieved a perfect score. Runners-up among the states include Idaho and Indiana.

Best Web sites of counties and cities over 250,000 population are those of Montgomery County, Md.; Fresno, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; and New Orleans.

Web sites of many medium-sized counties, cities and townships (those between 50,000 and 250,000 population) also scored well. The top five among these are York County, Va.; Huntsville, Ala.; Chandler, Ariz.; Augusta, Ga.; and Beaverton, Ore.

Web sites of smaller governments generally rank lower because most have fewer e-government features. Nevertheless, Web sites of several localities under 50,000 population stood out. These include Gloucester County, Va.; Teton County, Wyo.; Palm Coast, Fla.; Port Orange, Fla.; Biddeford, Maine; Ashland, Ohio; and Tigard, Ore.

The study found that 11,227 out of 39,037 state and local governments surveyed -- just 29 percent -- had an official government Web site online in 2006. However, every state and nearly all large cities and counties have one. County Web sites serve roughly 92 percent of the population residing in counties; similarly, city Web sites serve about 92 percent of the population residing in cities. About 60 percent of township residents are served by a township Web site.