America's 250th Birthday
The American Dream Scorecard
A data-driven report card on 250 years of progress
The United States turns 250 years old on July 4, 2026. That milestone invites a question most Americans have never seen answered with confirmed data rather than political opinion: how is the country actually doing?
Nine categories. Nine letter grades. Every grade based entirely on confirmed data from nonpartisan sources including the CDC, the Census Bureau, the EPA, the FBI, peer-reviewed research, and federal primary documents. No political opinion. No editorial agenda. The data grades itself. Each category is accompanied by an in depth analysis and the data sources.
.Each category is graded on two dimensions. The 250-year arc — how far America has come from its founding , the recent trend and whether things are getting better or worse right now. A category can show historic progress and still receive a poor grade if the current trend is headed in the wrong direction. A category can have serious ongoing problems and still receive credit for meaningful recent improvement. The scorecard is published yearly. The grades will change as the data changes.
HOW THE GRADES WORK A: Significant confirmed improvement over the measured period, trending positive. America is doing well here and getting better
.B: Meaningful improvement with some setbacks or unresolved challenges. Real progress with real work remaining.
C: Mixed picture. Some improvement and some decline. No clear trend. America is holding its own but not advancing.
D: Decline overall with some areas of improvement. The trend is moving in the wrong direction.
F: Significant confirmed decline. Crisis level. The data shows serious and worsening failure.
Each category receives one overall grade plus trend indicators for the past 50, 25, 10, and 5 years so you can see not just where America stands but whether it is moving toward or away from the American ideal.
Nine categories. Nine letter grades. Every grade based entirely on confirmed data from nonpartisan sources including the CDC, the Census Bureau, the EPA, the FBI, peer-reviewed research, and federal primary documents. No political opinion. No editorial agenda. The data grades itself. Each category is accompanied by an in depth analysis and the data sources.
.Each category is graded on two dimensions. The 250-year arc — how far America has come from its founding , the recent trend and whether things are getting better or worse right now. A category can show historic progress and still receive a poor grade if the current trend is headed in the wrong direction. A category can have serious ongoing problems and still receive credit for meaningful recent improvement. The scorecard is published yearly. The grades will change as the data changes.
HOW THE GRADES WORK A: Significant confirmed improvement over the measured period, trending positive. America is doing well here and getting better
.B: Meaningful improvement with some setbacks or unresolved challenges. Real progress with real work remaining.
C: Mixed picture. Some improvement and some decline. No clear trend. America is holding its own but not advancing.
D: Decline overall with some areas of improvement. The trend is moving in the wrong direction.
F: Significant confirmed decline. Crisis level. The data shows serious and worsening failure.
Each category receives one overall grade plus trend indicators for the past 50, 25, 10, and 5 years so you can see not just where America stands but whether it is moving toward or away from the American ideal.
