ABSTRACT The present study applies a decision spatial model, previously developed, for the case of evaluating human development in the counties of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The factors that encompass social, economic, health, education and territorial aspects of the counties were evaluated. The model makes use of decision rules and identification of spatial clusters to analyze the grouping of cities with better and worse performances. Three analyses were performed obtaining approximate results, verifying the robustness of the model employed. Additionally, the results were compared with the Human Development Index of the counties. In the case of the present study, the compensatory effect was not observed when compared to the original index, and the referred effect arises due to the calculation method used. Furthermore, the practical implication signifies the opportunity to develop public policies associated with the criteria showing poor performance and to visualize spatial patterns existing in municipalities with the same classification.