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    HomeResearch, Evaluations, Maps, and Data

      
				
	
	
	
	
	
	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.Types
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		Years 
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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.
			See AllClear all filtersEvaluation of ARC’s Business Development Grants Closed Between 2017-2021

          This report presents findings from an evaluation of ARC’s business development projects that closed between 2017 and 2021, representing 220 grants and nearly $75 million of ARC investment. The evaluation found that ARC’s business development grants closed during that timeframe led to improvements for nearly 11,000 businesses and facilitated...
    
    
    
          2023EvaluationsBusiness and EntrepreneurshipFood Insecurity in the Appalachian Region

          This report provides a comprehensive assessment of food insecurity dynamics in Appalachia—primarily through analysis of datasets from Feeding America, the American Community Survey (ACS), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It highlights the realities, risks, and opportunities related to food insecurity in the region. The report also offers case...
    
    
    
          2023Research ReportsPublic Health
          Socioeconomic AnalysisLocal 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...
    
    
    
          GeographyMapsCongressional Districts in Appalachia

          This map displays the 57 congressional districts and the district representatives of the 118th U.S. Congress in the Appalachian Region.
    
    
    
          2023GeographyMapsCoal Production and Employment in Appalachia, 2023

          The coal industry—both in Appalachia and in the United States as a whole—has undergone a severe downturn over the last decade as demand for coal has fallen across the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated recession weighed down on coal production even more. With data through 2022, this report...
    
    
    
          2023Research ReportsEnergy
          Natural AssetsAppalachian Diseases of Despair, 2023

          This study analyzes 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 includes data through 2021 and serves as an update to previous ARC...
    
    
    
          2023Research ReportsPublic Health
          Substance UsePrivate-Sector Employment in Appalachia

          These state-level reports offer a glimpse at private-sector employment throughout the Appalachian Region. Each report, focusing on the Appalachian portions of the states, includes employment data for 91 industries, allowing readers to see which industries account for the largest percentages of total employment. The reports also include variables measuring recent...
    
    
    
          2023Research ReportsIndustry
          Socioeconomic AnalysisNetwork Appalachia: Freight, Trade, and Economic Development

          This research report, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Network Appalachia multimodal transportation advisory group, provides an assessment of the freight network in Appalachia and the global context that surrounds it. This report is an update of the 2010 Network Appalachia: Access to Global Opportunity report and maps freight network...
    
    
    
          2023Research ReportsInfrastructure
          Trade
          TransportationEvaluation 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...
    
    
    
          2023EvaluationsINSPIRE InitiativeCounty Economic Status in Appalachia, FY 2024

          This map shows ARC's economic classification of the 423 counties in the Appalachian Region for FY 2024 (October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024).
    
    
    
          FY 2024Economic StatusMapsThe Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey

          This study examines state- and county-level data for the 13 Appalachian states from the 2017-2021 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,...
    
    
    
          Research ReportsSocioeconomic AnalysisPostsecondary Schools in Appalachia

          This map shows postsecondary schools such as colleges, universities, community colleges, and technical colleges that are located in the 423-county Appalachian Region. The map and database were compiled using the National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates (EDGE)...
    
    
    
          EducationMapsAppalachian Diseases of Despair, 2022

          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 ARC reports from 2017 and 2020...
    
    
    
          2022Research ReportsPublic Health
          Substance UseEvaluation of ARC’s Education and Workforce Development Projects Closed in 2015-2019

          This report presents findings from an evaluation of ARC’s education and workforce development projects that closed between 2015 and 2019, representing 383 grantees and more than $62,500,000 of ARC investment. By the end of the grant period, 337,405 individual beneficiaries had been served. At the time of the follow-up survey,...
    
    
    
          2022EvaluationsEducationTrends and Impacts of Local Access Road Investment in Appalachia: An Evaluation Report of ARC’s Local Access Road Program

          This report presents a study to evaluate trends and impacts of investments in the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Local Access Road (LAR) Program using available project data and surveys conducted in this study covering the projects completed from 2001 through 2020. Information about 135 federally funded LAR projects was obtained from...
    
    
    
          EvaluationsTransportation Appalachian Regional Commission

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