(Effective October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004)
Each fiscal year the Appalachian Regional Commission classifies the Region’s counties into one of four economic levels based on a comparison of county and national rates for three economic indicators: three-year average unemployment rates, per-capita market income rates, and poverty rates. See the methodology for a description of each economic level. In Fiscal Year 2004, ninety-one counties are classified as distressed, 289 are classified as transitional, 22 are classified as competitive, and 8 are classified as attainment. For a list of county classifications, see the downloadable Excel file.