This study examines state- and county-level data for the 13 Appalachian states from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey (ACS) and from U.S. Census Bureau population estimates on topics including population, age, race and ethnicity, housing occupancy and tenure, education, labor force, employment and unemployment, income and poverty, health insurance coverage,…

An Overview of Coal and the Economy in Appalachia, a report commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission, details major trends in coal employment and production in the Appalachian Region over the past two decades. The report examines where employment and production losses have been concentrated within the Region, and also…

This research report, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission, seeks to define the traffic safety culture in Appalachia and discusses the causes of the common safety problems in the Region. Drivers in Appalachia must contend with environmental concerns, including expansive rural regions, mountainous and curved terrain, and dense forests exposed…

This research report, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission, documents the extent to which existing transit services are adequately creating or enhancing access for disadvantaged populations in Appalachia, particularly those in rural Appalachia. The report also documents current best transportation practices across the Region and explores how transportation intersects with…

Extending our Welcome uses qualitative and quantitative research to assess the history of tourism in Appalachia and make recommendations for communities looking to employ it as an economic strategy. The report also provides 12 community and establishment profiles from eight Appalachian states as a source of best practices. Though…

This study, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission, analyzes how transportation options, and lack thereof, can impact economic development and access to services across the Region. The report understands transportation accessibility as the ability of people and businesses to access desired and needed activities, services, and goods within existing transportation…

This study analyzed the impact of diseases of despair on mortality within the Appalachian Region, focusing on mortality from three main causes: alcohol, prescription drug, and illegal drug overdose; suicide; and alcoholic liver disease/cirrhosis of the liver. It served as an update to the 2017 ARC report looking at…

This report looks at the industrial make-up of employment and earnings in the Appalachian Region compared to the United States as a whole, differences found within the Region, and recent changes that have taken place.

This report includes 14 recommendations developed by ARC’s Substance Abuse Advisory Council to support a robust recovery ecosystem in Appalachia.