Groundbreaking State-by-State Scorecard Grades Economic, Civic and Political Conditions for Building Power for Residents

Today, Dēmos, a nonprofit public policy organization, released the Power Scorecard, a state-by-state snapshot of economic and socio-political conditions. A visual, unique data tool, the Power Scorecard ranks each state for optimal conditions that foster economic and political power for the people by examining 60 metrics.

This tool illustrates what factors are acting as barriers to and opportunities for progress. It is a mandate for us to act.

“Our findings show that no state has optimal conditions that foster people power,” said Taifa Smith Butler, President of Dēmos. “The tool shows us how economic mobility, economic security, and civic and democratic vitality are interconnected. If we are to hold our country accountable to the promise of democracy and economic opportunity for all, then this tool illustrates what factors are acting as barriers to and opportunities for progress. It is a mandate for us to act.”

With a vision to build a just, inclusive multiracial democracy and economy, Dēmos works to build power with and for Black and brown communities through research, policy analysis, and strategic partnerships with state-based and grassroots organizations. The authors intend for the Power Scorecard to support other work and research.

As people of color become the majority in the United States, we know that it is crucial to build political will, political education, and strengthen the capacity of state-based and grassroots partners.

“Right now, we are seeing economic anxiety and frustration being top of mind for everyday people as well as corporations and the wealthy elite having an outsized influence in our democracy,” said Butler. “As people of color become the majority in the United States, we know that it is crucial to build political will, political education, and strengthen the capacity of state-based and grassroots partners.”

The 60 metrics included in the framework are not an exhaustive list of all factors pertinent to economic, social, or political power. Highlighted findings include:

• People in every state struggle to exercise economic and political control over their lives. All 50 states, according to the findings in the Power Scorecard, achieve less than half the optimal score (120) across economic, social, and political conditions for power.
• Economic, civic, and political conditions of power generally correlate. Testing Dēmos’ hypothesis, our findings provide evidence that economic and political indicators are interconnected. This is demonstrated through both the highest (top 10) and lowest (bottom 10) performing states achieving similar outcomes for both economic, social, and political conditions.
• Economic security is not a guarantee of economic mobility. We found that weaker conditions for economic security impede conditions for upward economic mobility. Stronger conditions for economic security, however, do not guarantee economic mobility.
• Strong civic conditions are not enough to drive democratic participation. Our findings suggest that civic power conditions are not enough on their own to drive democratic participation. In fact, the Scorecard shows that many states are failing to ensure that all basic liberties central to vitality are afforded to the people within their states.
• Across 46 states, average economic conditions for Black and Latino populations are worse than conditions for the average white populations. Poor overall conditions are often most acute in the South and Midwest, with no geographic concentration of the highest-performing states.
• No state provides optimal conditions for families and children, and our analysis shows a disproportionate impact on children of color. For example, in six out of 10 of the worst-ranked states, the population includes more than 50% of children of color.

The release of the Power Scorecard follows the earlier launch of Dēmos’ Power Agenda, a framework establishing five priority areas to surmount barriers to building power in Black and brown communities: economic mobility for all, economic security for all, full political participation, an inclusive and expansive electorate, and a representative and accountable government. In examining indicators related to economic security, economic mobility, and civic and democratic vitality, the Power Scorecard’s findings stand to inform further analysis and advocacy to overcome these barriers.

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Dēmos is a nonprofit public policy organization working to build a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy and economy. We work hand in hand to build power with and for Black and brown communities, forging strategic alliances with grassroots and state-based organizations.