An Index for Sustainable Prosperity

Wealth vs. Well-Being: How Do We Measure Prosperity?

Maryland developed its Genuine Progress Indicator to measure how development activities impact long-term prosperity, both positively and negatively. Here in Maryland and across the globe, people are continually challenged by the need to find a balance between advancing economic gain and ensuring social well-being.

Traditional indicators like the Gross Domestic/State Products address only economic transactions. They do not include the environmental and social costs of what we buy, the quality of life impacts of how we live, or fully appreciate the significant contributions of our natural systems.


We invite you to learn how we developed our GPI, find out how Maryland is doing in 26 different indicators, and explore a model to see how policy decisions made today may affect future generations.



Office of Governor

Current Blog Topic

Happiness is Oppressive?

The past few weeks have been quite exciting in terms of alternative measures of prosperity. This is in large part due to this June’s Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The event will focus on green economy issues, how we measure and track sustainability efforts, and particularly the concepts and goals of happiness and well-being. (As a refresher, you can scan a previous Blog, The End Game: Happiness & Well-Being.)

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Contact Information

Sean McGuire
580 Taylor Ave
Tawes Building C-3
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-260-8727
smcguire@dnr.state.md.us