Begun in 1970, the annual National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Achievement Award Program is a non-competitive awards program which seeks to recognize innovative county government programs called County Model Programs. Created as a part of NACo’s New County, USA Campaign, the Achievement Award Program continues to embody the grassroots and local government energy the program was designed to promote. The main emphasis of the New County, USA campaign was to modernize and streamline county government and to increase its services to its citizens, goals that are still the main emphasis of the Achievement Award Program today.
County governments across the country, working alone and in cooperation with other governments at the municipal, state and national levels, continue to develop innovative and successful programs in a wide range of service areas, including arts and historic preservation, children and youth, community and economic development, corrections, county administration, emergency management, environmental protection, health, human services, libraries, parks and recreation, transportation, volunteers and much more. The Achievement Awards Program gives national recognition to county accomplishments, and has enabled NACo to build a storehouse of county success stories that can be passed on to other counties.
- 2023 – 38 Achievement Awards
- 2022 – 21 Achievement Awards
- 2021 – 38 Achievement Awards
- 2020 – 25 Achievement Awards
- 2019 – 27 Achievement Awards
- 2018 – 24 Achievement Awards
- 2017 – 28 Achievement Awards
- 2016 – 28 Achievement Awards
- 2015 – 24 Achievement awards
- 2014 – 26 Achievement awards
- 2013 – 17 Achievement awards
- 2012 – 20 Achievement awards
- 2011 – 22 Achievement awards
- 2010 – 18 Achievement awards
- 2009 – 23 Achievement awards
- 2008 – 18 Achievement awards
- 2007 – 15 Achievement Awards
- 2006 – 13 Achievement Awards
- 2005 – 7 Achievement Awards
- 2004 – 13 Achievement Awards
- 2003 – 13 Achievement Awards
- 2002 – 13 Achievement Awards
- 2001 – 18 Achievement Awards
- 2000 – 11 Achievement Awards
- 1999 – 16 Achievement Awards
