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Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank William Trolinger for his assistance in automating the acquisition and preparation of the data used in this report and Ross Owyoung for editing the document. Executive Summary Metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), or metros, are groups of counties that contain and surround a central city having a population of… Continue reading Most Dynamic Metros 2023

Ross DeVol, President and CEO I have spent much of my career advocating for the subject of this research. The good news is that the federal government is finally responding in a way to assist communities. Federal funding agencies such as National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and many other federal agencies’ position… Continue reading Place-based Economic Development Toolkit

Introduction There are many places in the American heartland that are ready for investment to translate local expertise, found in existing small and medium sized firms and their skilled workforce, academic research, and nascent stage entrepreneurial companies, into great economic opportunity. And the appropriate role of regional policy evolves as the number of firms increases,… Continue reading Place-Based Economic Development: A Guide for Implementation

Omaha, Nebraska is a city with a population of 500,000, approximately one-fourth of the entire state of Nebraska, filled with a rich history of economic development. The city is home to a handful of Fortune500 companies, including Union Pacific Railroad, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and ConAgra Foods. During the twentieth century, it became a hotbed… Continue reading Place-Based Economic Development Toolkit: Omaha Nebraska

Incorporated in 1844, Greenwood thrived as a bustling cotton marketplace throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The town served as a pivotal hub for cotton distribution, establishing crucial connections to major cities like New Orleans, Memphis, and St. Louis. However, as cotton production evolved with mechanization in the mid-20th century, Greenwood’s economic fortunes took a… Continue reading Place-Based Economic Development Toolkit: Greenwood Mississippi

Central Indiana offers a perfect example of a region building on its strengths through industry collaboration and civic partnerships. The Central Indiana region is anchored by Indianapolis, the state capital. The 11-county metropolitan area is home to 31% of Indiana’s population (2.14 million in 2022) and generates 39.2% of the state’s total GDP. A pivotal… Continue reading Place-Based Economic Development Toolkit: Central Indiana

The Animal Health Corridor is in the Kansas City metropolitan region, spanning from Lawrence, Kansas to Columbia, Missouri. The region holds the largest concentration of animal health companies, research institutions, and service providers in the world. The Animal Health Corridor is a powerhouse for animal health and bioscience industries, boasting a significant cluster of companies… Continue reading Place-Based Economic Development Toolkit: Kansas City Animal Health Corridor

Regions across the heartland are leveraging their unique assets and resources to attract federal investments and innovative cross-sector partnerships. Here are introductory slides used in a session at the Heartland Summit called Future of the Heartland:  Deploying Place-based Economic Development where experts shared ways regions can consider physical and human infrastructure needs to coordinate action and investment… Continue reading Future of the Heartland: Deploying Place-Based Economic Development