The City of Gulf Shores has once again been honored with the prestigious Leading the Way Award from ETC Institute, maintaining a perfect record by winning the award following both biennial Resident Satisfaction Surveys conducted in 2022 and 2024. Gulf Shores achieved an exceptional composite score of 241 points in the latest survey, placing it in the top 10% of all local governments nationwide and surpassing the national average by 120 points.
This achievement is particularly significant as Gulf Shores has won the award every time it has participated in the biennial DirectionFinder® Survey, demonstrating consistent excellence in the three core areas evaluated: overall quality of services, customer service by employees, and value received for local taxes and fees.
"This award belongs to every member of our city staff who comes to work each day with a commitment to serve our community," said Mayor Robert Craft. "Our incredible score of 241, which far exceeds the national average of 121, reflects the dedication, passion, and hard work of our employees who consistently go above and beyond for our residents. I couldn't be prouder of our team and their unwavering dedication to making Gulf Shores an exceptional place to live, work, and visit."
The city's performance was particularly remarkable in several key areas, with ratings exceeding national averages by substantial margins:
- Overall quality of city services (+38.7%)
- Quality of customer service from City employees (+41.8%)
- Overall quality of police protection (+41.5%)
- Value received for City tax dollars and fees (+38.7%)
Gulf Shores ranked exceptionally well as a place to live, scoring 42.9% above the national average. The city also received outstanding marks for public safety, with strong ratings for police protection, crime prevention efforts, and overall community safety.
The Leading the Way Award evaluation process includes data from more than 450 communities nationwide that participated in ETC Institute's DirectionFinder® Survey over the past two years. Since its inception in 1999, the DirectionFinder® Survey has gathered feedback from nearly 2.3 million residents across all 50 states.
For more information about the City of Gulf Shores Resident Satisfaction survey, or to view the 2024 survey findings, please visit www.gulfshoresal.gov/Resident-Satisfaction-Survey.