Information Technology

The Center for Digital Government (CDG) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) announced the winners of the 19th annual Digital Counties Survey. 


“Snohomish County is again ranked one of the top digital counties in the nation. The Center for Digital Government and National Association of Counties 2021 3rd place award recognizes Snohomish County for its best technology practices in areas of open government, transparency, citizen engagement, cyber security and operations. Snohomish County received the award for counties in the 500,000 – 999,999 population category based on its submission to the Digital Counties Survey. In the last four years Snohomish County has ranked in the Top 10 counties for technology achievement including winning 1st place in 2019.”


For the second year in a row, Snohomish County, Wash., was ranked third in its population category. The county’s strategic IT plan aims to move the county forward in the areas of cybersecurity, customer service and modernization. The updated three-year strategic plan, published in February 2021, was developed in alignment with the county’s continuous improvement program, commonly referred to as STEP (Service, Technology, Excellence Program).


“The coronavirus pandemic underscored the urgent need for bold, cutting-edge approaches to serving our residents, and technology has played a major role,” said NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “This year’s Digital Counties Survey winners have demonstrated true leadership when it was needed the most. We applaud their innovation and expertise in leveraging technology to achieve county goals.”


Snohomish County IT has taken a leadership role in security education and training — resulting in a 92 percent decline in clicks on phishing email tests over a three-year span — and cybersecurity education will remain a priority.

2021 Award Announcement -  https://www.govtech.com/dc/digital-counties
2020 Award Announcement -  https://www.govtech.com/dc/digital-counties/

2019 Award Announcement -  https://www.govtech.com/dc/digital-counties/Digital-Counties-Survey-2019--Winners-Announced.html

2018 Award Announcement -  https://www.govtech.com/dc/digital-counties/Digital-Counties-Survey-2018--Winners-Announced.html

The Digital Counties Survey, conducted by CDG in partnership with NACo, identifies the best technology practices among U.S. counties, including initiatives that streamline delivery of government services, encourage collaboration and shared services, and enhance cybersecurity.