Data Literacy Starter Kit

Overview — Why Data Literacy Matters for Local Government

Data literacy is the ability to read, understand, create, and communicate data as information. In local government, it means that leaders and staff can confidently interpret performance indicators, ask meaningful questions, and use data appropriately to inform decisions about services, budgets, and policies.

Strong data literacy helps jurisdictions:

• Make decisions based on evidence rather than intuition

• Improve performance and accountability

• Tell clearer stories with data for residents and stakeholders

• Reduce fear or mistrust of data by emphasizing understanding and purpose

For smaller jurisdictions without dedicated analytics teams, data literacy becomes the foundation for everyday data use, empowering generalist staff to engage with data meaningfully.