Research, Evaluations, Maps, and Data

Economists, mapping specialists, evaluators, and data analysts in ARC’s Research and Evaluation Division regularly publish internal and commissioned reports and maps, and maintain an updated county-specific searchable data report tool. Research reports address critical socioeconomic issues impacting the Appalachian Region, while evaluations assess ARC’s own investment portfolios. ARC’s research and data is meant to help policymakers and our partners better understand Appalachia’s challenges and make more informed, effective decisions to address them. Published information also provides valid data for outside researchers studying the Region.

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ARC's Fiscal Year runs September 30 - October 1, and is named for the calendar year in which it closes. County Economic Status maps, investment data, and budget and performance documents are categorized by Fiscal Year.

Other ARC content, including research reports, evaluations and news updates, fall into the January 1- December 31 calendar year.

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Transportation Access in Appalachia – Maryland DOT Pilot Implementation Project

Author(s): Saumya Jain, Eric Lind, Andrew Owen, and Shirley Shiqin Liu  Author Organization(s): Accessibility Observatory, University of Minnesota   This research report, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and led by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration, explores transportation accessibility within the Appalachian Region. Building upon the foundational insights provided by…

County Economic Status in Appalachia, FY 2025

This map shows ARC’s economic classification of the 423 counties in the Appalachian Region for FY 2025 (October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025). The Appalachian Regional Commission uses an index-based county economic classification system to identify and monitor the economic status of Appalachian counties. See the methodology for a description of each economic level. In fiscal year 2025, 77 counties…

The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey

This study examines state- and county-level data for the 13 Appalachian states from the 2018-2022 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,…

Local Development Districts

Local Development Districts (LDDs) — also known as Area Development Districts (ADDs), Council of Governments (COGs), or Regional Planning and Development Commissions —  are multi-county planning organizations facilitating community-based, regionally driven, economic development.  There are 74 LDDs in the Appalachian Region. Guided by community leaders, elected officials, business representatives and others, ARC…

Evaluation of ARC’s INSPIRE Initiative

The East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Center for Rural Health Research, in collaboration with the ETSU Addiction Science Center, conducted an evaluation of the INSPIRE Initiative on behalf of ARC in 2022-2023. The evaluation was designed to advance understanding of the accessibility of the application process, implementation successes and…