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
Kids walking in a school hallway
A roundup of three studies that reveal how school-level structures and systems expand or limit students’ opportunities.
Students using graphing calculcatiors and a laptop while in a classroom
At a time when young people are facing increasing entry-level job competition, ensuring they have the math skills needed to achieve their career goals and meet local workforce needs is more important than ever.
photo of woman at computer on hotline
Communities that are disproportionately affected by the criminal legal system often need more support throughout complicated court processes.
Aerial view of a residential neighborhood.
New research finds that banks rely more heavily on FHLBank advances during times of stress, reducing their likelihood of failure. As a result, the Federal Home Loan Banks significantly increase the banking system’s financial stability, adding value of $13.2 to $21.4 billion each year.