This map shows five rural-urban county types for the 423 counties in the Appalachian Region. These designations are a condensed version of the USDA Economic Research Service 2024 Urban Influence Codes.

For decades, the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) has been viewed as one of the most significant long-term infrastructure investments supporting economic opportunity in Appalachia. As more than 92 percent of the system has been completed, open to traffic or under construction as of 2026, the question is no…

This report analyzes coal production and employment data from 2000 to 2024, with a focus on how trends in Appalachia compare to those elsewhere in the country. Variation within the region is also examined. For Appalachia as a whole, despite some slight increases over the past few years, coal…

In cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the state departments of transportation (DOTs), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) regularly updates the cost-to-complete estimates for the unfinished Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) corridors. The 2025 ADHS cost-to-complete estimate is $15.2 billion (in 2025 dollars). In addition, state DOTs have…

In cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the state departments of transportation (DOTs), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) regularly updates the cost-to-complete estimates for the unfinished Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) corridors. The 2021 ADHS cost-to-complete estimate is $10.3 billion (in 2020 dollars).

This report presents findings from an evaluation of ARC’s health grants that closed between fiscal years 2017 and 2021. Overall, the 96 grants included in the evaluation led to improvements for over 300,000 patients, almost 4,000 students and over 2,500 workers or trainees. Grant-funded projects supported over 300 organizations…