What can we learn from public servants about the state of local government work?
Project Summary
The People Lab is launching the first-ever annual survey of city employees to measure engagement, experiences, and perceptions across the US and over time. In doing so, we aim to highlight trends on the changing needs, preferences and characteristics of city government workers, support cities in building data-informed workforce strategies, and answer critical research questions around the local government workforce.
Why is this issue important?
Over 14 million people work in local government in the United States, but the vast majority of survey evidence on the public sector workforce comes from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), a survey of federal government employees that was conducted annually until 2025. Until now, there has been no equivalent effort to measure the experiences or viewpoints of city employees, even though city employees face unique challenges and, importantly, have a direct impact on resident outcomes, experiences, trust, and engagement. The lack of national and publicly available city workforce data limits scholars’ and practitioners’ abilities to identify and address workforce challenges, compare local issues within a national context, and share best practices across cities.
What are we doing?
To help fill these gaps, we are designing and conducting an annual national survey of city employees that will produce public use data on city workforces across the United States. We are constructing a panel of city employees across the country, and will also work closely with a small number of select cities to develop and implement in-depth citywide surveys with their own workforces.
What have we learned?
This project is ongoing. We expect to pilot and launch the first survey wave in 2026.