Alexandria recognized as top digital city in national survey
City places 10th in the nation for using technology to improve services for residents
Alexandria has been recognized in the 2025 Digital Cities Survey, placing 10th nationally in its size category among cities with populations between 125,000 and 249,999, the Center for Digital Government announced this week.
The annual survey and awards program recognizes cities that are propelling city government innovation to new heights, evaluating municipalities on their approaches to information technology, community engagement, cybersecurity, and digital service delivery.
The city announced the recognition on Thursday on its official social media account, stating it is using digital innovation to deliver better results for residents and is committed to making Alexandria more connected, secure, and inclusive through technology.
According to the Center for Digital Government, Alexandria’s tech work this past year was spread across several projects, ranging from an internal department communications platform to the use of artificial intelligence to a new app that helps users access information about the area’s historical signs.
The city was recognized for addressing workforce challenges around hiring and retention. City Council approved $1.25 million in funding for projects to ease those issues. City technologists and data scientists reviewed information to model data, identify trends and determine which positions present the biggest hiring and retention challenges. The analysis led to implementation of a $3,000 retention bonus in April.
The city has also worked to digitize its human resources processes, deploying three new modules for learning, onboarding and performance in 2025 to make workforce management more efficient and effective.
Alexandria continues to explore the use of AI and machine learning within its judicial system, establishing a data governance group in May to conduct review and oversight of data housed in the Justice Information Community systems.
Scottsdale, Arizona, took first place in Alexandria’s size category, followed by Roseville, California, and Bellevue, Washington. Norfolk, Virginia, and Olathe, Kansas, tied for fifth place.
“What stands out this year isn’t just the technology, it’s the focus on the impact on constituent services,” said Teri Takai, chief programs officer at the Center for Digital Government. “These cities are applying innovation where it matters most: keeping people housed, making streets safer and building community trust.”
Winners were honored at the Digital Cities Awards Dinner during the National League of Cities City Summit on Nov. 19 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Alexandria previously won first place in the survey in 2015 and has consistently ranked in the top 10, including an eighth-place finish in 2023.
The survey identified cybersecurity as the top priority for city governments for the 11th consecutive year, followed by artificial intelligence and machine learning initiatives, budget and cost control and business process automation.