The National Community Survey
The Nation's Premier Community Survey
Join hundreds of other local governments and get a representative picture of residents’ needs and perspectives with the nation’s premier community survey.
The National Community Survey™ (The NCS™) is developed and provided by National Research Center at Polco. We are here to help you move your community forward.
Versatile and Powerful Research
City managers and local government leaders across the nation use The National Community Survey (The NCS) to:
Engage residents safely and effectively
Free up staff time
Inform Budget Priorities and Capital Investments
Measure performance
Make evidence-based decisions
Guide economic recovery and growth
Tried and Trusted
The National Community Survey, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), is the gold standard in community assessments today. This benchmarking survey provides a comprehensive and accurate picture of livability and resident perspectives about local government services, policies and management. Hundreds of communities in nearly every U.S. state conduct The NCS.
Our researchers use scientific survey methods and best practices of the modern day to guarantee valid findings and put your results into meaningful context. Results draw from the largest resident opinion database of its kind, representing well over 30 million Americans. The NCS compares local results with benchmarks compiled from surveys conducted across the U.S.
What Our Clients Say
Someone would come to a council meeting and would be the loudest person in the room. We would make a decision based on that. We wanted to make more data-driven decisions and hear more from our community.
Andy Conyers
Asst. City Manager of Administration, Edmond, Okla.
We asked ourselves, do we have the courage to step forward and see how we’re doing? And then do we have the courage to take on this information and pique the interest of the community to do something different than we’ve done in the past?
Joel Young
City Clerk, Chatfield, Minn.
This is very useful. I can’t tell you how many times we reflect on the community survey results to help guide our policy decisions over the next four years.
Ashley Stolzmann
Mayor, Louisville, Colo.
A lot of communities, especially small ones, have ever-growing demands and never-growing staff. It’s hard to prioritize. The data helps us to evaluate those things, set priorities, and make sure we use our limited resources to get to where we need to go.
Kate Rusch
Public Information Officer, Estes Park, Colo.
Have Questions? Want to Get Started?
Our expert program managers are available to help with all projects. Drop us a line - we'd love to help you achieve your community's goals.
The National Community Survey Services
Advanced Reporting
Interactive reporting of results on Polco (PDF download available)
Benchmark Comparisons
Benchmark comparisons with more than 500 communities nationwide
Accurate Representation
Scientific survey methods to best reflect characteristics of your entire community
Wider Access Online
Open participation survey included in addition to the sampled survey
In-Depth Results
Tracking of results and response rates by geographic area and basic demographics
Expert Analysis
Survey conducted and analyzed by a data science practitioner
Voice of the People Awards
Communities that conduct The National Community Survey are eligible to participate in the Voice of the People (VOP) awards.
Plans & Pricing
The NCS is available with the Polco Performance Plan subscription.
Need Something Custom?
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Learn more about our Custom Surveys.
