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2026-2027 County Landscape Project Fellowship Program

NACo EDGE · Oregon, United States · 2 mo ago
Management$20–$30/hrInternship

NACo in Washington, D.C. announces an opening for a fellowship under its County Landscape Project. The National Association of Counties (NACo) unites America’s 3,069 county governments. Founded in 1935, NACo brings county officials together to advocate with a collective voice on national policy, exchange ideas, build leadership skills, pursue transformational solutions, and enrich the public’s understanding of county government.

The County Landscape Project is a unified, accessible resource providing a comprehensive guide to how counties function, govern, and serve residents. It aims to enhance engagement with policymakers, federal and philanthropic partners, and the public, while encouraging cross-state county-level partnerships.

About the role

The fellow will work with the Research, Policy and Governance Studies (RPGS) team to expand the County Landscape Project with new research over an academic year. The fellow will select an unexplored topic to clarify the role, function, or structure of county governments across all states, aligned with NACo’s evolving priorities.

Potential research topics include:

  • Requirements and processes for local ballot measures
  • Inventory and condition of county infrastructure
  • Impact of municipal bonds on local infrastructure
  • County role in Medicaid, SNAP, CCDF, and other federal social service programs
  • Roles of row officers (clerk, treasurer, assessor, sheriff, etc.) across states
  • County role in developing and maintaining utility infrastructure
  • Permitting and siting
  • Analysis of Home Rule charters and general county government authority
  • Analysis of city-county consolidations
  • Disaster management and response within our federalist system

Responsibilities

Fall Semester

  • Conduct a preliminary literature review (3 weeks)
  • Read and analyze relevant state statutes for all 48 states with county governments (5 weeks)
  • Develop a state-level dataset for NACo’s national database (3 weeks)
  • Research and clean county-level datasets for NACo’s County Explorer (2 weeks)

Spring Semester

  • Analyze county-level data and create visualizations (2 weeks)
  • Write a topical brief published by NACo (5 weeks)
  • Write a short article for NACo’s County News (1 week)
  • Update and expand NACo’s state-level governance profiles (3 weeks)
  • Develop PowerPoint slides to present research to NACo staff and/or members (2 weeks)

Requirements

  • Strong interest in local government and the U.S. intergovernmental system
  • Excellent writing and qualitative research skills
  • Strong data and analytical skills
  • Ability to work independently and handle multiple tasks under short deadlines
  • Experience with Microsoft Office (Excel and Word at intermediate level or higher)
  • Eye for detail and strong organizational skills
  • Comfort handling large databases of county-level data
  • Proficiency with statistical software (STATA, R, or Python) preferred but not required

Qualifications

  • Completed Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Economics, Political Science, or related field
  • Graduate students (especially Ph.D. candidates) and recent graduates with advanced degrees in relevant fields are encouraged to apply
  • Preference given to candidates interested in local/state government careers

Schedule

Fellowships typically align with the academic year, running September to May (with a possible one-month extension). Fellows work at least 3 full days per week, up to 24–29 hours, depending on department needs and availability.

Pay

$20–30 per hour.

Benefits

  • Health & Wellness
    • Medical, dental, and vision coverage with significant employer premium contributions
    • Flexible spending accounts
    • Employee assistance program with 24/7 confidential support
  • Financial & Retirement
    • 401(k) with potential employer match and automatic enrollment
    • Employer-funded pension contribution of 10% of salary
    • Life insurance and fully paid short- and long-term disability coverage
  • Time Off and Flexibility
    • Generous paid leave starting at 20 days annually, increasing with tenure
    • Eleven paid holidays each year
    • Pre-tax commuter benefits and transportation subsidy
  • Professional Development
    • Tuition reimbursement for continued education and career growth

Benefits may vary based on position and eligibility.

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