A Social Distancing Scorecard

A location data company has created a Social Distancing Scorecard to track the progress of Americans, down to the county level, in reducing travel in accordance with recommendations to reduce physical contact.

2 minute read

March 26, 2020, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Empty Subway

Orhan Cam / Shutterstock

Unacast, a mobility data company based in New York and Oslo, has created a Social Distancing Scoreboard to track the success of Americans in reducing travel in the days and weeks since the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the country.

A blog post by Thomas Walle, CEO and co-Founder, of Unacast, explains the Scoreboard's methodology. The company uses its Real World Graph® data engine to identify geospatial mobility data. After several iterations, the company decided to use "change in average distance traveled" as its metric for the Scorecard.

As for the final tally, the Scorecard assigns letter grades based on whether the change in average mobility has dropped more than 40 percent (an A Grade), between 30 and 40 percent (B), 20 to 30 percent (C), 10 to 20 percent (D), and less than a 10 percent decrease (an F grade).

The Scorecard includes a grade for the entire United States (B), as well as grades for every state and county. The five states leading the social distancing effort, as of this writing: the District of Columbia (considered a state here), Alaska, Nevada, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. The states reducing average distance traveled the least, as of this writing, are Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, and Oregon.

For an additional comparison, the state currently considered the hot bed of the pandemic, New York, has reduced average distance traveled by 48 percent. The country's most populous states, California, has also reduced average distance traveled by 48 percent. Both of those metrics were last updated on March 24 as of this writing.

Unacast is promising that the Social Distancing Scorecard is only the first of multiple releases it has planned for a COVID-19 Toolkit.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020 in Unacast

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today