The “State of Jax” is a public-private partnership that brings together trusted data to illuminate Jacksonville’s most pressing challenges and significant opportunities. To date, the City’s partners include the Civic Council, United Way, Nonprofit Center, Community Foundation, UNF, and JU.
 
This initiative makes vital economic, health, education, and social indicators easily accessible to policymakers, community leaders, and the public, via stateofjax.org. It will accelerate Jacksonville’s progress toward shared economic, educational, health and cultural goals.

“This is about sharpening our tools for change,” said Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan. “Just as a builder needs a blueprint, a city needs good data to build a future that works for everyone. The State of Jax gives us a clear, transparent view of where we’re doing well—and where we can do better. This is what separates the good cities from the world-class ones.”
 
As a free and accessible web-based resource, “State of Jax” aims to serve as the anchor for innovative research, collaborative problem-solving, and informed decision-making throughout the city. Data will be displayed at the city-wide, neighborhood, ZIP code, and City Council district levels in the future.
 
Key highlights of the” State of Jax” initiative include:

• An interactive public website that aggregates and visualizes dozens of local indicators from reliable sources
• Hyperlocal data on life expectancy, housing affordability, education outcomes, business activity, and more
• Practical tools to support the work of key partnerships and programs, such as Jacksonville Journey Forward, Public Safety Grants (PSG), Kids Hope Alliance (KHA), Community Benefits Agreements (CBA), and others
• Objective insights to help policymakers, nonprofits, and residents direct resources where they are most needed

 
State of Jax is powered by mySidewalk, which provides access to over 2,000 standardized datasets from trusted sources like the U.S. Census Bureau, CDC, EPA, HUD, and more. Data is pre-cleaned, normalized, and geospatially aligned across cities, census tracts, ZIP codes, and council districts—eliminating the need for custom wrangling.
 
While Google and ChatGPT can help you find information, data is not always accurate, normalized, or organized consistently across various geospatial units such as a city or neighborhood. The use of mySidewalk ensures that State of Jax data is consistent and reliable.

“Reliable information can fuel innovation across grassroots, especially when the data is made accessible,” said Parvez Ahmed, Chief of Analytics for the City of Jacksonville. “State of Jax brings together hyperlocal, high-quality data from multiple trusted sources to help us see the full picture of our city. It’s a collaborative tool designed to spark new ideas, better align efforts, and support smarter decision making across government, business, and the nonprofit sector.”

To learn more or to try “State of Jax” firsthand, visit: stateofjax.org.