“Top-notch counties are utilizing the governance frameworks, investment tools, broadband implementations and more that were put in place in response to citizen needs around COVID-19…then capitalizing on those going forward to support digital experience initiatives,” said Phil Bertolini, vice-president, CDG. “The Center for Digital Government congratulates this year’s winners for their accomplishments and continuing efforts to use technology to make government better.”
“The coronavirus pandemic underscored the urgent need for bold, cutting-edge approaches to serving our residents, and technology has played a major role,” said NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “This year’s Digital Counties Survey winners have demonstrated true leadership when it was needed the most. We applaud their innovation and expertise in leveraging technology to achieve county goals.”
- King County, Wash. (1,000,000 or more population category)
- Prince George’s County, Md. (500,000 – 999,999 population category)
- Marin County, Calif. (250,000-499,999 population category)
- Cabarrus County, N.C. (150,000-249,999 population category)
- Albemarle County, Va. (up to 150,000 population category)
FUTURE READY AWARD 2021: The Future Ready Awards were created to recognize the innovative vision that states, cities, and counties have for the impact of technology on the people they serve – specifically those jurisdictions that are laying the foundation for the disruptive and converging forces that are shaping an uncertain future.
- CDG presents the 2021 Future Ready Award to Hennepin County, MN. The county established a Disparity Reduction program using technology to reduce the digital divide for students and residents. Staff retention and longevity are encouraged by allowing IT staff to split their time equally between their current job and learning new skills. In addition, the county IT’s process of developing trend waves for emerging technologies allows them to better understand the dynamics and use of new technology.
The Center for Digital Government thanks our corporate members Accela, Amazon Web Services, CAI, Crown Castle, Dell Technologies, EasyVote, Infor, Laserfiche, Medallia, Microsoft, Oracle, Pure Storage, ServiceNow, SHI, Spectrum Enterprise, Splunk, TeamDynamix, Whyline, and Yubico for their support to make this survey and awards program possible.
Congratulations to the 2021 Digital Counties Survey Winners!
1,000,000 or more Population Category
1st King County, WA
2nd County of Los Angeles, CA
3rd Hennepin County, MN
4th Orange County, FL
5th Fairfax County, VA
6th Montgomery County, MD
7th Oakland County, MI
8th County of Alameda, CA
9th Cook County, IL
9th Miami-Dade County, FL
10th County of San Bernardino, CA
500,000-999,999 Population Category
1st Prince George's County, MD
2nd DeKalb County, GA
3rd Snohomish County, WA
4th San Joaquin County, CA
5th County of San Mateo, CA
6th County of Sonoma, CA
7th New Castle County, DE
8th Gwinnett County, GA
9th Polk County, FL
10th Cobb County, GA
250,000-499,999 Population Category
1st Marin County, CA
2nd Chesterfield County, VA
3rd Prince William County, VA
4th County of Placer, CA
5th Cumberland County, NC
6th Dutchess County, NY
7th Leon County, FL
8th Durham County, NC
9th Ottawa County, MI
10th County of Berks, PA
150,000-249,999 Population Category
1st Cabarrus County, NC
2nd Arlington County, VA
3rd Columbia County, GA
4th Washington County, AR
5th Pitt County, NC
6th Onslow County, NC
7th Davidson County, NC
8th Berrien County, MI
9th Charlotte County, FL
10th Berkeley County, SC
10th Union County, NC
Up to 150,000 Population Category
1st Albemarle County, VA
2nd County of Mono, CA
3rd Roanoke County, VA
4th Montgomery County, VA
5th County of Nevada, CA
6th Dodge County, WI
7th County of York, VA
8th Coconino County, AZ
9th Bedford County, VA
10th Franklin County, VA
SELECTED SURVEY FINDINGS
2021 Top Ten technologies and initiatives which are likely to have an increased focus in the next year:
1. Cybersecurity
2. Citizen/Customer Engagement/Experience
3. Business Process Automation
4. Networks: Broadband, Connectivity, Addressing Digital Divide
5. Cloud Computing
6. Business Intelligence/Analytics
7. Hire/Retain/Nurture Competent IT Personnel
8. Disaster Recovery/ Continuity of Operations
9. Budget and Cost Control
10. Data Governance: Transparency, Open Data
CLICK HERE for the article on the top 10 winners who are being honored at a special virtual awards event on July 15.
About the Center for Digital Government: The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute focused on technology policy and best practices in state and local government. CDG is a division of e.Republic, the nation’s only media and research company focused exclusively on state and local government and education.
About NACO: The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens America’s counties, including nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to advocate for county government priorities in federal policymaking; promote exemplary county policies and practices; nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks; optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings; and enrich the public’s understanding of county government.
Contacts:
Paul Guequierre, Director of Communications
National Association of Counties
(202) 942-4271
pgueqierre@naco.org
Janet Grenslitt, Director of Surveys and Awards
e.Republic | Center for Digital Government
916-932-1363
jgrenslitt@erepublic.com