For the first time, district managers have access to benchmarking data that wasn't collected by an organization with a stake in the results. The District Pulse survey reached 440 special tax districts across 38 states, with responses from executive directors, operations managers, and board chairs.

Here's what we found.

Methodology

The District Pulse Q1 2026 survey was distributed between January 15 and February 28, 2026. We received 440 complete responses from districts with annual assessment revenues ranging from $75,000 to $12.4 million. Responses were weighted by district size and geographic region to ensure representativeness.

All data is self-reported. We verified a random sample of 10% of responses against public records where available.

Key Findings

Assessment Rates

Median assessment rate: $4.82 per linear foot of frontage (for frontage-based districts) or 0.12% of assessed property value (for value-based districts).

Rate change at last renewal: 67% of districts increased rates at their most recent renewal. The median increase was 14%. The range was 0% to 67%.

Districts planning rate increases at next renewal: 71% expect to propose an increase. The median planned increase is 18%.

Renewal Confidence

Districts confident in renewal success: 78% of managers report being "confident" or "very confident" their next renewal will pass.

Factors most correlated with confidence:

  1. Regular communication with property owners (r=0.72)
  2. Documented program outcomes (r=0.68)
  3. Board engagement with major property owners (r=0.61)

Factors least correlated with confidence:

  1. District age (r=0.12)
  2. Assessment rate level (r=0.08)
  3. Number of staff (r=0.15)

Merchant Satisfaction

Districts that formally measure merchant satisfaction: Only 34%.

Among those that measure, average satisfaction score: 6.8/10.

Top merchant complaints (ranked by frequency):

  1. Lack of transparency about where assessment dollars go
  2. Events that don't drive traffic to their specific location
  3. Insufficient communication about district programs
  4. Perception that large merchants get preferential treatment

Top merchant praise (ranked by frequency):

  1. Clean and well-maintained public spaces
  2. Effective marketing of the corridor
  3. Responsive staff
  4. Networking opportunities with other merchants

Technology Adoption

Districts using foot traffic counting technology: 62%

Districts using consumer cashback platforms: 18%

Districts using AI-powered analytics: 7%

Districts planning technology investments in 2026: 54%

Staffing

Median full-time staff: 2.5 FTE

Districts reporting staffing as their biggest challenge: 41%

Average executive director tenure: 4.2 years

Districts that experienced executive director turnover in past 24 months: 28%

Segmented Analysis

By District Size

Small districts (<$250K annual assessment): Higher merchant satisfaction (7.1/10), lower renewal confidence (71%), less technology adoption (38% using foot traffic counting).

Medium districts ($250K-$1M): Average on all metrics. Most likely to be planning technology investments (61%).

Large districts (>$1M): Lower merchant satisfaction (6.4/10), higher renewal confidence (84%), highest technology adoption (78% using foot traffic counting).

By Region

Northeast: Highest assessment rates, highest renewal confidence, lowest merchant satisfaction.

Southeast: Fastest-growing district count, highest planned rate increases, most technology investment planned.

Midwest: Most stable — lowest turnover, most consistent renewal rates, median satisfaction.

West: Highest merchant satisfaction, most cashback adoption, highest staffing levels per assessment dollar.

What This Means

The data suggests that district success is less about resources and more about communication. The factors most correlated with renewal confidence are all relationship-based, not resource-based. Districts with half the budget but twice the stakeholder engagement outperform their better-funded peers.

The merchant satisfaction gap is concerning. Only a third of districts formally measure it, and those that do find room for improvement. The top complaints are all addressable — transparency, communication, and perceived fairness don't require budget increases.

Technology adoption is accelerating but remains uneven. The districts investing in technology are the ones that can already afford to experiment. The question for 2026 is whether technology costs will decrease enough to reach smaller districts.

Full Data Access

Curbside Intel subscribers can access the full dataset, including district-level responses (anonymized), segmented analysis by state, and custom filtering tools. Contact research@curbsideintel.com for access.