Measuring What Matters: A City-Focused Guide to Health Data and Changemaking

Turn data into action with this practical toolkit for city leaders.

Public administrators and community leaders know that data is powerful—but using it effectively can be challenging.

Measuring What Matters: A City-Focused Guide to Health Data and Changemaking is a practical, easy-to-use data playbook from the City Health Dashboard team. It’s designed to help cities and organizations integrate data into their workflows, policymaking, and program design.

What Does the Playbook Provide?

• Clear, actionable guidance on using health data to drive change

• Interactive worksheets to walk you through real-world projects

• Tools to build data capacity and improve decision-making

Whether you're launching a new initiative or refining an existing one, this playbook helps you plan smarter, act more intentionally, and stay grounded in data.

Explore the Worksheets

Each worksheet is designed to help you move from idea to implementation:

• Interactive City Health Dashboard Explorer

• Data Decision-Making Assessment + Decision Tree

• Considerations for Building Data Dashboards

• Team Project Planning

Ready to turn data into impact? Measuring What Matters gives you the tools to get started.

Download the Playbook Here