Economic Distress

Examine Economic Distress

Our economic distress interactive map and database are tools for understanding comparative levels of employment opportunity across communities. Why a particular focus on distressed communities? Because there are huge differences in the availability of good jobs from place to place, and those differences lead to vastly different types of economic opportunities for residents. Targeting distressed places does more to solve these inequalities than blindly dispensing aid. As a bonus, focusing on distressed communities leads to greater social benefits per taxpayer dollar invested. Federal, state, and local governments should ask what they are doing via place-based assistance to boost employment opportunities for residents of these distressed places.