The Opportunity Index

The Opportunity Index is the nation’s first – and only – tool designed to provide a snapshot of what opportunity looks like at the state and county levels.

The New Opportunity IndexUsing more than a dozen data points grouped into three different dimensions of opportunity - Jobs and the Economy, Education, and Community Health and Civic Life - the Index ranks every state and assigns almost every county in America a first of its kind Opportunity Score ranging from “A” for excellent to “F” for failing.  

Armed with this knowledge, engaged citizens and leaders at the local, state, and federal levels can identify concrete solutions to improve economic mobility at the ground level.  First launched in 2011, the Index will be issued annual giving leaders a way to track the progress of their efforts.

Visit www.opportunityindex.org to see where your state ranks, enter in your zip code to see what score your county earns, and check out whether your area improved in not since 2011.

 

Key Takeaways from the 2012 Opportunity Index

The strongest indicator of opportunity continues to be youth academic and economic inclusion.  Areas with higher numbers of young adults engaged in an education program or gainfully employed have higher opportunity scores, while areas with large numbers of disconnected youth have lower opportunity scores.  The rate of disconnected youth increased in 28 states and 57 percent of counties measured.

  • From 2011 to 2012, more states and counties have shown improvement than those sliding backwards.  36 states saw an increase in their Opportunity Score, while 14 saw a decline.  Only Pennsylvania’s score stayed the same.  At the county level, nearly 40 percent counties increased their score, while 47 percent held steady and 13 percent declined.
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  • Income is not a leading factor in determining overall opportunity.  The top three states on the Index – Vermont, North Dakota, and Minnesota – rank 21st, 24th, and 13th respectively in terms of average income per capita.
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  • Education continues to play a leading role in advancing opportunity.  While three-quarters of nation’s high school freshmen graduate in four years, the bottom three states on the Index -- New Mexico, Mississippi, and Nevada – have less than half of high school students graduate on time.
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Download a complete report for more in-depth analysis of the 2012 Opportunity Index.