Since 2014, the Menino Survey of Mayors has tapped the insights and perspectives shared by a representative sample of sitting U.S. mayors.

2023 Survey

The 2023 Menino Survey of Mayors represents the tenth nationally representative survey of American mayors and is based on interviews with 118 sitting mayors from 39 states. The 2023 Survey explores mayoral views on early implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and issues ranging from clean energy and permitting, to public messaging, to capacity challenges, to government accountability and control. Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation.

Building for a Green Future: Cities and the IRA

Mayoral Accountability and Control (to be released soon!)

2022 Survey

The 2022 Menino Survey of Mayors represents the ninth nationally representative survey of American mayors and is based on interviews with 118 sitting mayors from 38 states. The 2022 Survey explores mayoral views on climate and energy, poverty and rising costs of living, and health and safety. Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation.

2021 Survey

The 2021 Menino Survey of Mayors represents the eighth nationally representative survey of American mayors and is based on interviews with 126 sitting mayors from 39 states. The 2021 Survey explores mayoral views on COVID-19 recovery, equity and small business, closing the racial wealth gap, and housing and homelessness. Supported by Citi and The Rockefeller Foundation.

2020 Survey

The 2020 Menino Survey of Mayors represents the seventh nationally representative survey of American mayors and is based on interviews with 130 sitting mayors from 38 states. The 2020 Survey explored mayoral views on COVID-19 recovery, policing and protests, parks and greenspace, and the 2020 Census. Supported by Citi and The Rockefeller Foundation.

2019 Survey

The 2019 Menino Survey of Mayors, based on interviews with 119 sitting mayors from 38 states, explored mayoral views on issues ranging from infrastructure and transportation priorities — including mobility and public safety — to the changing nature of work. The 2019 Survey also provided the first in-depth examination of mayors’ reactions to and expectations for the Opportunity Zones program, a significant new federal initiative to stimulate urban development. Supported by Citi Community Development and The Rockefeller Foundation.

2018 Survey

The 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors, based on interviews with 110 sitting mayors from 37 states, revealed mayoral views on economic development—including corporate recruitment, financial incentives, the sharing economy, and social mobility—as well as public health, housing, and intergovernmental relations. Supported by Citi Community Development and The Rockefeller Foundation.

In June 2019, the Initiative published a corollary report to the 2018 Menino Survey, Mayors and the Health of Cities. The report sheds sheds light on how US mayors perceive and prioritize the health of their cities in the context of existing urban health data. The report also highlights promising city-led initiatives targeting four priority health areas: the obesity epidemic, the opioid crisis, traffic fatalities, and gun violence. Supported by Citi Community Development and The Rockefeller Foundation.

2017 Survey

The 2017 Menino Survey of Mayors, based on interviews with 115 sitting mayors from 39 states, delved into the ways in which mayors are tackling critical urban issues of both local and global import—from housing young families and aging residents to mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change—while confronting federal and state funding gaps. The research also offers insight into how mayors are rallying individually and as a collective to affect positive change. Supported by Citi Community Development and The Rockefeller Foundation.

In April of 2018, the Initiative published a corollary report to the 2017 Menino Survey, Cities Joining Ranks—Policy Networks on the Rise. The report offered the first systematic review of US city-to-city policy network activities, their media visibility, perceived value in the eyes of mayors, and membership composition. The report also provided novel insights into city peer groups based on an evaluation of network joining behavior. Supported by Citi Community Development and The Rockefeller Foundation.

2016 Survey

The 2016 Menino Survey of Mayors encompassed insights and perspectives shared by a representative sample of 102 mayors from 41 states. While prior years of the Survey have delved more deeply into infrastructure needs and fiscal priorities, the 2016 Survey focused on “people priorities,” including immigration, inclusion, and poverty. Mayors also discussed the impact of the 2016 presidential election on their cities and their hopes for the Trump administration. Supported by Citi Community Development.

2015 Survey

The 2015 Menino Survey of Mayors was built on interviews with a representative sample of 89 mayors from 31 states. The objective was to take mayors’ pulses on key contemporary challenges and policy issues—including infrastructure, public safety, and municipal finance—and identify where mayors turn for help in tackling them. A significant portion of the 2015 Menino Survey is devoted to mayoral leadership, including areas of mayoral control and constituent approval, as well as constraints they confront under increasingly politicized and polarized state legislatures. Supported by Citi Community Development.

2014 Survey

In October of 2014, the Initiative on Cities released a ground-breaking survey of American Mayors, which has since been dedicated as the annual Menino Survey of Mayors. Based on interviews with over 70 mayors, the 2014 Survey offered the first-ever nationally representative review of mayoral priorities and yields fresh insight into the issues mayors care about. The Survey highlights the importance mayors place on the physical, fiscal and social infrastructure of their cities, and—contrary to prior research—suggests that party affiliation has a significant influence on mayoral priority-setting. Supported by Citi Community Development.