Urban across the Country

Urban’s researchers partner with state and local leaders to provide the evidence, tools, and support they need to improve lives and strengthen communities. This work includes strategic advising to translate research into action, program evaluations to measure effectiveness, and research and data analysis to inform decisionmaking. Our experts develop custom data tools and modeling to support equitable resource allocation and lead community-engaged research and convenings to ensure policies reflect local priorities.

Use this page to explore Urban’s work. Search by region to see examples of our research, and filter by evidence and products to narrow results by topic or type of work.

Dive deeper into your state and community with our data tools. View highlighted tools below, select “Data tools” under “Filter by Product Types,” or head directly to our data tools page.

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State and community data tools
Explore our work by state
President Donald Trump and Susan Dell look on as Michael Dell speaks at a podium in the White House.
If philanthropy only supports wealth-building programs through direct cash giving, it risks bypassing nonprofits that have built the infrastructure to deliver coaching, financial access, safeguards, and trusted relationships that turn dollars into durable gains. To best support these programs, we
Brief Reducing Los Angeles County's Jail Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This brief explores how Los Angeles County, with support from the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC)—an initiative funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to reduce overincarceration and disparities in jail populations—deployed and expanded strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic
Brief Student Loan Repayment Since the Payment Restart
In this brief, I use credit bureau data to assess borrowers’ progress making payments in the two years since the end of the payment pause and compare repayment outcomes with those in prepandemic years.
A family of two Black parents and two toddlers sits in their living room on the floor. The toddlers are playing with blocks.
Wealth has great potential to unlock opportunities for people over the course of their life, but a long history of structural racism has meant Black families are less likely to have large reserves of wealth.