State College once again has been recognized among the most inclusive communities in the United States by the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization.
The borough achieved a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for the seventh consecutive year. State College was one of a record-high 132 municipalities to earn a score of 100 out of 506 evaluated for the 2023 index.
Now in its 14th year, the MEI is billed as measures how municipalities support the LGBTQ+ population through laws, policies and services and is billed as the only comprehensive nationwide assessment of its kind.
Communities are rated based on 49 criteria in the areas of non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.
Scores are capped at a maximum of 100, though State College earned 115, including 100 standard points and 15 out of 22 “flex” points for items that apply to some but not all municipalities. Draft scorecards are compiled using publicly available information and shared with municipal administrators for review and to provide any additional information they wish to be considered before a final report is released.
Despite seeing its most perfect scores, the nationwide average score dropped for the first time in seven years to 70, according to HRC.
“The juxtaposition of having a record-breaking number of perfect scores and lower score averages across the board emphasizes the polarizing nature of this moment — cities with more security and independence are able to continue their pro-equality efforts, but other cities are not able or willing to accept possible political repercussions,” the organization wrote. “While those concerns may not be unfounded, impact is real and significant for the most vulnerable in our LGBTQ+ communities.”
In Pennsylvania, State College is one of six municipalities to receive a perfect score on the 2025 MEI, joining Carlisle, Erie, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
State College received a score of 77 in the 2017 MEI, and that same year the borough formed its LGBTQ Advisory Committee. A year later, the borough’s MEI score jumped to 98 and reached 100 for the first time in 2019.
See State College’s 2025 MEI scorecard below, and view the borough’s scorecards for the last five years at statecollegepa.us/859/Municipal-Equity-Index. Read read HRC’s full 2025 MEI report at reports.hrc.org/municipal-equality-index-2025.
