▲ Tracking America’s Social Health
THE MORAL
THE MORAL
DECAY INDEX
An empirical framework measuring the erosion of America’s civic, institutional, and cultural foundations across 8 key indicators.
80/ 100
Current MDI Score
⚠ Critical Range
80MDI Score↑ +5 from 2024
8IndicatorsTracked Continuously
6In Red Zone↑ +2 vs last year
50+States TrackedAll 50 + D.C.
2019Baseline YearPre-COVID Baseline
The Dashboard
8 Indicators We Track
Each indicator is scored 0–100. Higher scores indicate greater observed decay relative to our 2019 baseline.
Political Polarization
84
Trend: ↑ Worsening
Trust in Institutions
79
Trend: ↑ Declining
Income Inequality
82
Trend: ↑ Worsening
Mental Health Crisis
78
Trend: ↑ Worsening
Family Stability
71
Trend: → Stable
Crime & Violence
76
Trend: ↑ Worsening
Substance Abuse
83
Trend: ↑ Critical
Cultural Cohesion
68
Trend: ↓ Slight Improvement
Our Mission
Is America’s Moral Foundation Crumbling?
The Moral Decay Index is an independent, empirical research project that tracks measurable social, cultural, and civic indicators across the United States. We don’t traffic in opinion — we quantify decline.
We aggregate data from peer-reviewed studies, federal databases, Gallup surveys, and longitudinal research to produce a single composite score updated regularly.
- Data sourced from federal agencies, universities & Gallup
- 50-state breakdowns with county-level data
- Historical tracking back to 1990 for key metrics
- Updated quarterly with full source citations
- Non-partisan — we follow the data, not ideology
Empirical, Not Editorial
Every score is calculated from measurable, publicly available data — not editorial opinion or political bias.
National & State-Level Tracking
Explore how your state compares to the national average across all 8 core indicators.
Longitudinal Research
We track trends over decades to separate noise from genuine structural shifts in American social health.
Open & Transparent
All sources, methodologies, and calculations are published openly for peer review and public scrutiny.
By the Numbers
The Scale of Decline
↑34%Rise in Anxiety Disorders Since 2019
↓31%Drop in Trust in Congress
↑22%Increase in Fentanyl Overdose Deaths
↓18%Decline in Marriage Rates Since 2000
↑41%Rise in Political Hostility Framing
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