ARC has released the 13th update of The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey, also known as “The Chartbook.” The report, written in partnership with the Population Reference Bureau, features more than 300,000 data points comparing Appalachia’s economy, income, education, and more with the rest of the nation.
The 2023 report shows that Appalachia continued to make progress in educational attainment, labor force participation, income levels, and poverty rates from 2017-2021. Despite positive trends, work remains for the Appalachian Region — particularly its oldest, youngest, and most rural residents — to achieve parity with the nation.
To address Appalachia’s key vulnerabilities, ARC launched the Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) for large-scale economic transformation. The funding opportunity has a new application process that will be reviewed in detail during ARC’s pre-application webinar on June 22.