Publish the source, always
Every figure carries its origin: federal agency, state agency, public dataset, academic work, independent research, or US360 editorial analysis. Nothing is left ambiguous.
Methodology center
How US360 research is produced
How US360 produces rankings and reports: research principles, editorial standards, data sources, verification, update schedule, corrections policy and transparency statement.
Research principles
Six rules the research desk follows
Never present analysis as an official statistic
US360 composites and indexes are labelled as US360 analysis wherever they appear, including inside charts and comparison tables.
Show gaps instead of estimating
When a measure is not sourced consistently for all 51 hubs, it is published as a planned factor or a labelled placeholder — never as an estimate.
Same measures for every state
Rankings use identical inputs for all 51 hubs so no state is flattered by a metric another state lacks.
Reproducible weights
Every ranking publishes its factors and weights so a reader can recompute the result.
Correct in public
Corrections are listed on the report itself with the date and what changed.
Verification process
Six steps before anything publishes
Rankings are recomputed independently from the published weights, so a reader can reproduce the result.
- 1Research desk drafts the measure and identifies a source for all 51 hubs.
- 2Data is loaded into the shared state dataset — the single source used by hubs, rankings and reports.
- 3A second researcher recomputes the composite independently from the published weights.
- 4The editor reviews wording for claims the data cannot support.
- 5Limitations and planned factors are written before publication, not after.
- 6The report is published with a version number and review date.
Update schedule
When each format is refreshed
- Annual reports
- Full re-publication once a year with a mid-year review pass.
- Rankings
- Recomputed whenever the underlying state dataset changes; reviewed at least every six months.
- Trend analyses
- Reviewed every six months.
- Dashboards
- Derived panels update with the dataset; placeholder panels stay labelled until a source is connected.
Transparency statement
What we will and will not publish
US360 analysis is always labelled as analysis. Official statistics are always attributed to the agency that produced them.
How reports are created
A researcher drafts from the shared state dataset, a second researcher recomputes every composite, and an editor reviews the wording before publication.
How data is verified
A measure only enters a ranking when the same field exists for all 51 hubs. Anything partial stays a labelled placeholder.
When reports are updated
Annual reports are re-published yearly with a mid-year review. Rankings recompute with the dataset and are reviewed at least twice a year.
Known limitations
State-level figures cannot describe a specific city or neighbourhood, and several important measures are still unsourced. Each report lists its own limits.
Corrections process
Corrections are published on the report page with the date and the change, and the version history records what moved.
Reader feedback
Anyone can flag a figure through the contact page. Flagged figures are re-checked before the next review date.
Found a figure that looks wrong? Tell us through the contact page. Flagged figures are re-checked before the next review date, and any change is published in the report's corrections list.
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