ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s data-driven government practices have earned the highest certification awarded by a national nonprofit that evaluates how states use data and evidence to make policy and spending decisions, marking the ninth consecutive year Minnesota has received the organization’s top recognition.
Results for America named Minnesota one of eight states receiving platinum certification in its 2026 Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence. Minnesota is the only state to receive the highest available recognition in each of the nine years the organization has issued its state standard.
The Minnesota data-driven government approach is evaluated alongside practices in other states using 12 criteria examining how governments build evidence, use what they learn and deliver results. Those measures include evaluation and data practices, budgeting, grants and contracts, performance management, community participation and tracking outcomes.
California, Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island and Tennessee also received platinum certification this year. Fifteen states received platinum, gold or silver certification.
Results for America identified Minnesota as its leading example nationally for investing in evidence-based programs through direct services.
“For nine years Minnesota has ranked as a national leader in evidence-based decision making,” Gov. Tim Walz said in announcing the recognition Friday.
Walz pointed to paid leave, universal free school meals and Minnesota’s child tax credit as examples of policies his administration says reflect the state’s use of data and evidence in directing public investments.
The certification, however, evaluates state government practices for incorporating evidence and data into decision-making. It does not constitute an independent assessment of the effectiveness of each individual policy or program cited by the Walz administration.
Results for America said its 2026 analysis is based on information provided through an annual survey of state government officials, supplemented by the organization’s own secondary research.
Minnesota also received recognition for the way it incorporates evidence into state grants. Results for America said state grant programs that define and prioritize evidence distribute more than $300 million to Minnesota communities.
Those programs include education grants, housing support for adults with mental illness, school-linked behavioral health programs, opioid response funding, public health programs and ServeMinnesota AmeriCorps grants.
Results for America is a Washington-based nonprofit that works with governments to increase the use of evidence and data in public policy and spending. The organization describes its annual State Standard of Excellence as a benchmark for evaluating how state governments invest public money in programs supported by evidence.
Minnesota was one of three states to receive platinum certification in 2025 before the top tier expanded to eight states this year.
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