On July 31, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY21 Energy & Water Development Appropriations bill which includes $175 million for ARC. This appropriation includes $65 million for POWER, $10 million for Substance Abuse Disorder, $10 million to continue a program of broadband deployment in distressed counties in Central…

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 7, 2020—This week, 19 rising high-school seniors from 9 Appalachian states began the Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy (AEA)—a 12-month, free, blended learning curriculum featuring working modules led by regional experts in business planning, market analysis, product development and other entrepreneurial services. As part of the program, students will participate…

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 1, 2020—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced that 81 high school and middle school students and 13 high school teachers from 13 Appalachian states will participate in the 30th annual ARC/ORNL Summer STEM Program. Originally planned as residential learning experience, this program will be delivered virtually beginning…

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 30, 2020—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) welcomed the release of The Appalachian Energy and Petrochemical Renaissance: An Examination of Economic Progress and Opportunities, a new Department of Energy report on the Region’s growing shale and gas industries. Drawing on ARC data, research, and investment outcomes, the…

This map shows the population change in Appalachian counties from 2000 to 2010 as a percentage of the 2000 population.

This study examines state- and county-level data for the 13 Appalachian states from the 2014-2018 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,…

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 10, 2020—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission released The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2014–2018 American Community Survey, also known as “The Chartbook.” Drawing from the American Community Survey and comparable Census Population Estimates available as of 2018, the data predates the COVID-19 crisis. The report…

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 11, 2020—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced a $3.75 million grant to Appalachian Community Capital (ACC) for the ARC-ACC Emergency Business Response Assistance Program to strengthen and stabilize the Region’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and other mission-driven development finance lenders serving small businesses impacted by COVID-19…

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 16, 2020—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced an investment of $300,000 to The Industrial Commons, in Morganton, North Carolina, to purchase materials and coordinate staff to manufacture needed medical safety gear to fulfill product demand across the Appalachian Region and the nation. The Industrial Commons,…

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 13, 2020—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) began accepting applications for the second class of the Appalachian Leadership Institute, a leadership and economic development training opportunity for community leaders who currently live and/or work in Appalachia. The Appalachian Leadership Institute is an extensive nine-month program focusing on skill-building,…

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 26, 2020—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced announced two new tools documenting the spread of COVID-19 at the regional and county levels. The first tool, the COVID-19 Cases in Appalachia map, displays the current number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Appalachia, and throughout the…