Palo Alto Community Survey

2024 Community Survey Results(PDF, 6MB)

The City seeks community-wide feedback through the Palo Alto Community Survey on an annual basis. The Palo Alto Community Survey is a community feedback tool that helps the City Council and City staff understand community perspectives on current services and programs, as well as unmet needs and priorities. The survey is initially sent via mail to a random sample population of resident households and subsequently available to all residents online. The survey is one way among many through which we gain insights from residents throughout our community.

Polco/NRC, a leader in developing national benchmarking surveys, generates a report summarizing survey responses and includes Palo Alto in their benchmark comparisons. This report offers the City Council, City staff, and the public with an independent, impartial assessment of current and previous community perceptions to improve government efficiency and effectiveness, and support future decision-making.

The 2025 Palo Alto Community Survey process begins on August 1, 2025. The survey is initially sent via mail to a random sample population of resident households and subsequently available to all residents online. Please take the survey if you receive it in the mail. The annual Community Survey has two parts. First, a survey is sent via mail to a random sample of households. The survey can be taken either by mail or online. Next the survey opens up to all residents online on August 29.

Previous Surveys

FY 2023 Performance Report, Community Survey(PDF, 4MB)

Raw data available here(XLSX, 635KB) | Dec. 4, 2023 City Council Presentation(PDF, 4MB)

2021 & 2022 Reports

Revision Date: 2/9/2023 

Raw data available here(XLSX, 336KB) | Open Participation data available here(XLSX, 138KB)*

* Open Participation results are not a validated representational sample of the community and are only included as additional information.

FY 2021 Performance Report, Community Survey
Revision Date: 5/13/2021

Archived Reports

Performance Reports and National Citizen Surveys: FY 2018 & Older

The Auditor's Office previously issued the annual Performance Report (formerly Service Efforts and Accomplishments) for the City of Palo Alto.

FY 2018 Performance Report, The National Citizen Survey™, and Citizen Centric Report
Interactive visualizations using the National Citizen Survey™ data are available at: Tableau Visualizations
Revision Date: 6/5/2019divider
Interactive visualizations using the National Citizen Survey™ data are available at: Tableau Visualizations
Revision Date: 1/31/2018divider
Interactive visualizations using the National Citizen Survey™ data are available at: Tableau Visualizations
Revision Date: 1/28/2017divider
Interactive visualizations using the National Citizen Survey™ data are available at: Tableau Visualizations
Revision Date: 1/25/2016divider
Interactive visualizations using the National Citizen Survey™ data are available at: Tableau Visualizations
Revision Date: 6/1/2015divider
Revision Date: 3/17/2014
Revision Date: 3/17/2014divider
Revision Date: 2/4/2013divider
Revision Date: 2/4/2013divider
Revision Date: 1/18/2011divider
Revision Date: 1/17/2011divider
Revision Date: 1/25/2010divider
Revision Date: 12/14/2009divider
Revision Date: 1/26/2009divider
Revision Date: 1/10/2008divider
Revision Date: 2/7/2005divider
This is the City Auditor’s first annual Service Efforts and Accomplishments report for the City of Palo Alto. Our goal is to provide the City Council, staff, and the public with an independent, impartial assessment of past performance to help make better decisions about the future.
Revision Date: 1/1/2003
 
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