Announcing the State Chief Data Officer Tracker
The State Chief Data Officer Tracker, created by the Beeck Center’s Digital Service Network and Data Labs teams, is a first-of-its-kind resource that tracks the evolving role of CDOs in state governments and their efforts to advance data-informed decision-making and collaboration across agencies.
Data is a powerful tool for improving government transparency, accountability, and service delivery. As the role of data in policy development grows, state chief data officers (CDOs) are crucial in guiding this transformation and spearheading innovative approaches to advance data-informed decision-making.
State CDOs play a key collaborative role in overseeing the management, accessibility, and strategic use of data across government agencies. Their work is essential for breaking down silos and generating actionable insights that inform decisions on everything from understanding the impact of Long COVID on the workforce to making government procurement more equitable. Since the first CDO role was established in 2010, the increasing presence of CDOs in state government has sparked important discussions on how these roles are created, structured, and resourced.
The Beeck Center’s Digital Service Network (DSN) and Data Labs teams are excited to launch the State Chief Data Officer Tracker, drawing on insights from the State Chief Data Officers Network. This first-of-its-kind resource tracks the evolving role of CDOs and how they structure data operations in their states.
Explore the State Chief Data Officer Tracker
| 58.8% of states have state CDOs, with 10 states establishing the position in the past five years | 27 state CDOs sit in IT (information technology) offices | Most state CDOs operate with 1-10 full-time employees and a budget of less than $1 million |
Our Vision and Impact
The decentralization of key information—such as which states have established CDO or equivalent positions, their organizational structures, and enabling legislation—has historically made it challenging to understand and leverage the full potential of state CDOs. This lack of accessibility creates barriers to collaboration, innovation, and the replication of best practices. The State Chief Data Officer Tracker directly addresses this gap by offering a unified, comprehensive resource consolidating all relevant details about state CDOs nationwide.
This tracker is designed to serve as a dynamic, evolving resource for government practitioners, researchers, or civic technologists seeking to:
- establish or expand CDO or equivalent roles;
- benchmark how other states are operating; and/or
- track progress and growth in the field.
This one-stop resource highlights trends, gaps, and opportunities for growth. We encourage users of this tool to discover replicable models and better collaborate across states to advance equitable and effective data-informed decision-making.
The State Chief Data Officer Tracker is more than a repository; it’s a tool to connect stakeholders, inspire innovation, and scale effective models for data-informed decision-making in states. By centralizing critical information, this resource helps enable a future where public sector data initiatives maximize their potential to serve all residents equitably—a value central to our work at the Beeck Center.
Your Input is Appreciated!
State CDOs play a pivotal role in enhancing government transparency, accountability, and public services through data-driven initiatives. To better understand and highlight the work of state CDOs across the United States, the Beeck Center maintains a living database of these teams.
If you are a state CDO, or part of a state government data team and would like to see your state CDO included in the tracker, please complete the State CDO Tracker Input Form.
The Beeck Center reserves the right to make final decisions about inclusion in the Tracker. Have questions or ideas? Connect with us at statecdonetwork@georgetown.edu.
We look forward to growing this database with your support and collaboration.